Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has arrived in Delhi for a crucial three-day visit to meet with his Maha Vikas Agadi (MVA) partners Congress and NCP (SP). His primary objective is to reportedly push for his nomination as the chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled for October.
Thackeray will meet with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as well as NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Sanjay Raut said that Thackeray’s meetings with the MVA leadership are aimed at strategising for the assembly polls.
“We want to replicate our performance in the state assembly elections and regain power. Therefore, this meeting among top leaders is crucial,” Raut said.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the MVA secured 31 of Maharashtra’s 48 seats, while the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which includes Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar), won 17 seats.
“Shiv Sena (UBT) may have won fewer seats than Congress and the NCP (SP) in the Lok Sabha, but no one can deny that Uddhav Thackeray was the face of the campaign, and his speeches resonated more with the public. The people of Maharashtra are eager to see Thackeray as chief minister again after his government was toppled by the BJP,” said a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, per The New Indian Express.
The Sena (UBT) leader said that naming Thackeray as the chief ministerial candidate would energise both the party and its voters, providing a clear contrast between Thackeray and current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. “This move could be crucial in swaying voters in our favour,” the leader added.
Thackeray also met with Ramesh Chennithala, the AICC in-charge for Maharashtra on Tuesday. Chennithala confirmed that while meetings with Congress leaders are planned, the topic of the chief ministerial candidate has not been officially discussed yet. He noted that discussions regarding seat-sharing and the chief ministerial candidate are still in progress.
