'Maha' tussle over CM post: NCP leader puts up poster pitching for Ajit Pawar as CM, removes it later
(This story originally appeared in on Nov 22, 2024)
NEW DELHI: A day before the Maharashtra verdict, a poster pitching for Ajit Pawar as the next chief minister of the state added to the buzz around power tussle for the top post in the ruling Mahayuti. The poster, which was put up by a NCP leader in Pune and eventually taken down, highlights the competing claims expected for the top post once the results are out tomorrow.
«Ajit dada is a mass leader of Maharashtra. His work speaks for itself. He does what he says. He speaks for the development of Maharashtra. So, all workers and leaders of NCP feel that he should become the chief minister this time. This is why we have put up this banner,» NCP leader Santosh Nangare said.
The Shiv Sena leaders have also openly pitched for Eknath Shinde and claimed that he deserves another term. Party spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said the assembly elections were contested with chief minister Eknath Shinde as the face. “Voters have shown their preference for Shinde through voting. I think it is Shinde's right (to be the next CM) and we are confident that he will be the next CM,” Shirsat said.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who remains the strongest contender for the top post given the fact that his party will likely be the largest party in the alliance, has maintained that all three Mahayuti parties will sit together and take a «good decision».
But it is not just the ruling Mahayuti where the three partners would be jostling for the top post, the opposition Maha Vikas
