NEW DELHI: There is also a buzz that Supriya Sule would be the CM choice.
The hidden rumblings among members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over the elusive Chief Minister’s chair of Maharashtra became apparent recently when Shiv Sena (UBT group) leader and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was in the national capital for three days.
During this visit, he met top Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and party president Mallikarjuna Kharge.
While this is being described as a normal meeting in light of the impending Assembly elections in the state in November, it was the first meeting between the two party leaders since the Lok Sabha results, where the MVA secured 30 seats in Maharashtra.
Sources aware of the matter said that the three-day Delhi tour was prompted after speculation in Delhi’s political circles gained strength that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Member of Parliament Supriya Sule was the most prominent choice for the Chief Minister’s post if the MVA wins, which, according to observers, is not out of the realm of possibility.
Surveys conducted by multiple agencies indicate that if the elections were held today, the MVA would win at least 170 of the 288 Assembly seats in the state.
Thackeray, who conducted closed-door meetings at the residence of party MP Sanjay Raut, as well as with owners of media companies and a few news anchors, also met Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, among others.
The narrative and the idea behind these meetings were to reinforce Thackeray’s assertion that there was no other CM candidate in Maharashtra from the MVA camp except him.
It is pertinent to mention that when the Shiv Sena decided to leave the BJP, it was NCP supremo Sharad Pawar who acted as the bridge between Thackeray and the Gandhis, a role he held until the Lok Sabha elections.
However, for the first time, Thackeray has bypassed Pawar and met the Gandhis directly. This move is seen as a message to both voters in Maharashtra and other MVA leaders that Thackeray’s stature in the alliance is equal to, if not greater than, Pawar’s. Hence, the Shiv Sena (UBT) will not accept the possibility of Sule, who is Sharad Pawar’s daughter, being appointed as Chief Minister if the MVA comes to power.
These meetings should also be interpreted as a message to Congress state leaders, including state president Nana Patole, that when it comes to seat-sharing talks, Thackeray can and will directly reach out to the Congress leadership.
In the last Assembly elections, the combined Shiv Sena contested 126 seats in an alliance with the BJP. In contrast, the NCP and Congress, who were on the opposite side of the spectrum, contested 121 and 147 seats, respectively. While the Shiv Sena won 56 seats, the NCP won 54 seats, and the Congress won 44 seats. This time, Thackeray, sources said, will be seeking to contest at least 110 seats, leaving the remaining 178 to be divided among the Congress, NCP, and other smaller parties.
The 83-year-old Sharad Pawar desperately wants to settle Sule in a prominent role in the state. Given his good relations with the Gandhi family, NCP supporters believe that if it were up to the Congress, they would want Sule to become Chief Minister if the MVA is in a position to form the government.
On the other hand, Thackeray’s supporters argue that without Shiv Sena (UBT), the MVA cannot reach that winning position, and if the CM has to be decided strictly on the basis of merit, Thackeray should be considered over Sule.