Maharashtra | Why both MVA and Mahayuti are contesting polls without projecting CM face

While the Election Commission on Tuesday (October 15) came out with the schedule for Maharashtra Assembly elections, it is almost certain now that both the major alliances in the state – Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – will fight the electoral battle without a CM face.

If their current approach is any indication, both the alliances seem to have decided to put up a united front, respectively, in the Assembly elections, leaving the CM face decision for later.

Though the electoral contest in Maharashtra has usually witnessed two alliances in straight fight over the last two to three decades, the political landscape has transformed significantly in the last few years due to split in two regional forces – Shiv Sena and NCP – with one faction each of these parties now siding with the rival alliances. Consequently, there are three political parties each in Mahayuti and MVA, making it tough for them to announce their CM face ahead of polls. Already facing a daunting task of reaching a decision on seat-sharing arrangement, the two alliances are treading cautiously and wish to evade any major rift by leaving the issue of CM face untouched before the elections results.

Also Read: Maharashtra: No need for MVA to declare CM face, says Sharad Pawar

No consensus in Mahayuti

Reeling under the shock results of the Lok Sabha elections in which the MVA turned tables on it, the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar), is right now focusing on mending the fissures in the alliance.

While leaders of all three constituents of the Mahayuti have agreed publicly to contest the Assembly polls under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s leadership, there is still no consensus on who will be the face of the alliance if the Mahayuti were to retain power in the state.

It is no secret that despite having 105 MLAs, the BJP had agreed to let Eknath Shinde lead the government and named Devendra Fadnavis, a former chief minister, as his deputy, after the fall of the MVA regime in Maharashtra, as Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction held the key to power in the state. However, the BJP doesn’t seem to be in a mood to give up its claim on the top post now.

If a senior BJP functionary is to be believed, the Mahayuti will not project any chief ministerial face in Maharashtra and the BJP will stake claim on at least 160 of the total 288 seats. Not surprisingly, the BJP’s posturing on both the CM's post and the number of seats has riled the Shiv Sena (Shinde) and NCP (AP) camps.

BJP-Shinde Sena tussle

The BJP is aiming at the chief ministerial post by contesting more than half of the Assembly seats, knowing well that its claim to the top post will be strengthened if it emerges as the ally winning the most number of seats in Mahayuti. The party has already stated in the recent past that its nominee will stake a claim to the CM’s post, in case it secures the highest number of seats.

Also Read: Maharashtra polls: Who is the CM candidate? BJP, Sena in tug-of-war

“Eknath Shinde is the CM now but since we have more number of seats, it is natural that we will form the government under our leadership,” said Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule while talking to the media recently.

However, Shiv Sena (Shinde) had been arguing that since the Mahayuti government was formed after their leader raised the banner of revolt against Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde will be the chief minister, irrespective of number of seats bagged by each of the alliance partners.

The Shinde faction of Shiv Sena has become more vocal after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as it had a better strike rate among all the three constituents of the ruling alliance. Of the 15 seats the Shinde Sena contested, it won 7, while BJP won 9 of 28 seats it contested and the NCP (AP) only 1 of the 4 seats.

As far as the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction is concerned, the party is on board with going into the elections with Shinde at the helm, but is keeping its cards close to the chest when asked about a post-poll strategy.

MVA | Sena (UBT) eyes CM post

In the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), only Sena (UBT) seems keen on declaring a CM face of the alliance ahead of the polls, though it has made a series of flip-flops over the issue in the recent past.

Initially, the Sena (UBT) lobbied hard to evolve a consensus on the name of their party chief Uddhav Thackeray as the MVA’s CM face, as he led the previous alliance regime in the state. Uddhav held meetings with the top Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi, but received no positive response.

Also Read: Maharashtra | Why MVA partners differ on projecting CM face ahead of elections

Later, Uddhav struck a compromising note during a meeting of the MVA partners, stating that he will support any chief ministerial face declared by his allies to “save Maharashtra”. He urged Congress and NCP (SP) to declare the CM face, saying he is willing to back any candidate which either of the two parties will declare. He said the priority for him is to throw the “corrupt” Mahayuti regime out of power and the post of CM doesn’t matter to him. “I will support any face declared by them because Maharashtra is dear to me. It is my resolve to do anything to save Maharashtra.”

Congress, NCP (SP) unwilling

However, both the Congress and the NCP (SP) are reluctant to declare any CM face of the alliance and are of the view that whichever alliance partner wins the maximum seats in the Assembly polls should have its candidate as the CM.

Having won 30 out of 48 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, the MVA can smell an opportunity to come to power in Maharashtra. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, who is seen as the architect of the MVA, said there was no need for the MVA to declare a CM face before the elections. He said that the decision on the chief minister candidate would be made based on the number of seats each party in the alliance wins. “The chief ministerial candidate will be decided after the poll results, depending on which party secures the most number of seats,” Pawar recently said.

Also Read: Talks on MVA's CM face can happen later, dislodging Mahayuti govt top priority: Raut

Former CM and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan endorsed Pawar’s views, saying, “We will go ahead as the MVA and the CM will be decided on the basis of the seats won by the constituent parties,” he said. The Congress never announces the CM candidate, especially when the party is in Opposition, he added.

Riding high on the party’s Lok Sabha poll performance in the state, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole also said, “Congress is the bigger party, both at the Centre and in the state. Why should we play second fiddle?”