Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai: Uddhav Thackeray, leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), has called on the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance to announce its chief ministerial candidate before entering the Maharashtra assembly elections. Speaking during a meeting of MVA party office bearers, Thackeray emphasized the importance of pre-election clarity on leadership to avoid internal conflicts.
Reflecting on past experiences with the BJP, Thackeray argued against the policy of awarding the chief ministerial post to the party with the most MLAs within the alliance. “Our experience with the BJP has shown that this approach can lead to parties undermining their allies to maximize their own MLA count. I don’t support the idea that the party with the most MLAs should automatically get the CM post,” Thackeray stated.
Thackeray expressed his willingness to support any candidate chosen by the Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) as the alliance’s nominee for chief minister. He emphasized that the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections are crucial for preserving the state’s self-respect.
“This election is not about me; it’s about what is best for Maharashtra. Many IAS officers have been urging me to return, but my focus is on the welfare of the state,” Thackeray said.
Additionally, Thackeray assured that temple and waqf lands would be protected under his leadership and called for an investigation into land deals in Ayodhya and allegations of gold theft from the Kedarnath temple.
During the meeting, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule urged the MVA leaders to finalize seat-sharing arrangements swiftly. She also took a subtle dig at her cousin, Ajit Pawar, saying, “It took until the Lok Sabha results for them to realize the importance of a sister. One cannot buy a sister’s love for just Rs 1,500.”
