As Maharashtra eagerly awaits election results, a battle for the Chief Minister’s chair has ignited within both the Mahayuti and MVA alliances.

MUMBAI: Even before assembly poll results are out, a tiff over the CM’s post broke out on Thursday within the Mahayuti and the MVA.
While Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat claimed Eknath Shinde will continue to remain the CM once results are out on Saturday, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said BJP workers wished Devendra Fadnavis should helm the state. In MVA, after state Congress chief Nana Patole said his party would be in a leadership position in govt formation, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut shot back, saying if Patole wants to be CM, the Congress high command must announce his name. He added the MVA partners would decide their CM candidate together. Accusing BJP of trying to poach MLAs, Patole said MVA was ready to move elected MLAs immediately if required.

Amid all the squabbling, Sena minister Deepak Kesarkar also said “if necessary, Mahayuti will form a govt with the support of independents”.

Sena neta says Shinde’s right to be chief minister

Amid intra-alliance tension over CM’s post, Congress state chief Nana Patole said, “MVA govt will be formed under the leadership of Congress. The way voting trends are emerging, the way people are talking, on that basis, (it can be said) most of the Congress candidates will be elected. The CM will be from MVA.”
UBT Sena MP Sanjay Raut said MVA will stake claim to form govt in the evening of Nov 23 (Saturday) itself. He said the alliance will decide its CM face that day and support of independents will not be needed as the bloc will cross 160 seats on its own. Raut rubbished exit polls and described them as “a fraud”. On Patole’s statement on Congress ‘leadership’, Raut said, “I will not accept this and no one else will accept this. If you are becoming CM, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sonia Gandhi should announce it.”
The CMship has been a bone of contention between Congress and Sena (UBT), with the latter saying the MVA should have declared a CM face before polls. Raut and Patole had face-offs over the issue of CM ship and seat sharing right till the last day of filing nominations.
BJP’s Bawankule said, “Our workers feel Devendra Fadnavis should become CM, Shinde’s workers feel he should be CM. The central leadership has to decide.”
Sena’s Shirsat said, “It is true Bawankule has said his party’s leader must be CM. This is natural. We have fought polls with CM Shinde as the face and people have voted for us, which shows his popularity. People have preferred Shinde’s face. So we feel it is Shinde’s right to become CM and that he will remain the CM. We are sure about this. Whatever decision Shinde takes, we’ll go with him.”
Meanwhile, MVA leaders met to take stock of the situation vis-à-vis formation of govt if MVA secures a majority. Later evening, Congress’ Balasaheb Thorat met Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray for deliberations.