Sanjay Raut, Sharad Pawar make new claims on history of wrangling over Maharashtra CM’s post
The Hindu
Opposition leaders in Maharashtra reveal past struggles for Chief Minister post, highlighting political power dynamics and alliances.
As Lok Sabha polling in Maharashtra draws to a close, a series of “disclosures” are being made by opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders like Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on the Chief Minister’s post in the recent political past.
Mr. Raut claimed on Sunday that top Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, who are part of the current Mahayuti coalition government in Maharashtra helmed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, had apparently objected to Mr. Shinde being CM back in 2019.
Mr. Raut claimed that when the undivided Shiv Sena, headed by Uddhav Thackeray, decided to ally with the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s undivided NCP, several Congress and NCP leaders like Ajit Pawar, Dilip Walse-Patil and Sunil Tatkare — all part of the present Mahayuti government — had opposed Mr. Shinde being made CM. They said they would not work under “a junior and inexperienced person like him.”
Just prior to the formation of the ideologically opposed MVA coalition, the undivided Shiv Sena led by Mr. Thackeray was in alliance with the BJP, and the two saffron parties jointly won the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election.
Mr. Raut said that even after the victory, when it came to the question of a Chief Minister being named from the Shiv Sena, BJP leaders like Devendra Fadnavis, Girish Mahajan, and Sudhir Mungantiwar had apparently told the Sena that they would not like Mr. Shinde appointed CM.
Both Ajit Pawar and Mr. Fadnavis are Deputy CMs under Mr. Shinde in the current Mahayuti dispensation.
The Shiv Sena ultimately severed ties with the BJP soon after the 2019 Assembly election results following bickering over the CM’s post, the result being that Uddhav Thackeray allied with the NCP and Congress. This led to Mr. Thackeray becoming the CM of the MVA government.
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