Last updated:
Congress on Saturday said the chief minister of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance will be announced after the Maharashtra assembly elections, even as the alliance has already started seat-sharing talks.
The BJP leader claimed earlier this week that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray visited Delhi and met senior Congress leaders just to ensure that he emerged as the MVA's chief ministerial candidate.
The Congress, Sena Party (UBT) and National Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) are the main components of the opposition alliance, with the ruling “Mahayuti” alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena Party and National Congress Party Start competing.
Maharashtra Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala said Maharashtra will jointly contest the upcoming state elections.
“Preliminary seat-sharing talks have begun and we will fight the elections unitedly,” he told reporters after a meeting of party office-bearers in Latur, Beed and Dara Shiv districts of central Maharashtra.
When asked who will be the chief ministerial candidate, state Congress chief Nana Patole said maintaining Maharashtra's self-respect is their top priority. “The chief minister will make an announcement after the results are declared, after consulting the (new) MLAs,” he said.
Patole said the Eknath Shinde-led government announced the 'Laadki Bahin' scheme – where eligible women will get a monthly salary of Rs 1,500 – with an eye on the elections.
” (Deputy Chief Minister) Ajit Pawar said people should vote for Mahayuti as the MVA will scrap the scheme. This suggests the plan is for votes. The government calls it 'Ladki Bahin' (favorite sister) but does not provide any facility to the women who arrive in Mumbai from different parts of the state to recruit police personnel. During the rainy season they sleep on train platforms and bus stops,” he said.
