A war of words has broken out among the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance members Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress over the Chief Minister post in Maharashtra after the next elections. Currently, the CM post is with the 3rd alliance member Shiv Sena, with party chief Uddhav Thackeray in the chair.
Minister of Social Justice and Special Assistance in the Maharashtra cabinet and senior NCP leader Dhananjay Munde had claimed yesterday that the next Chief Minister will be from his party. Addressing a public meeting in Parbhani city, Munde said, “If a question arises tomorrow regarding whom to hand over the social justice portfolio, whoever would be the next chief minister, and the CM will be ours (NCP’s) only. The CM will say that let the social justice portfolio remain with us (NCP). This department has earned so much reputation.”
NCP has the 2nd largest number of MLAs among MVA members, just behind Shiv Sena, and controls several important portfolios like Finance Ministry and Home Ministry.
Congress calls it ‘daydreaming’
Reacting to Munde’s statement, Maharashtra Congress leader Nana Patole called it a ‘daydream’.
When asked by media persons for a reaction to Munde’s statement, Patole said, “Most people dream at night, but some dream during the day. Still, it is a democracy and everyone has a right to express their opinion. Every political party has a right to expand.”
The current MVA government in the state has completed two and a half years and the next election is still well over 2 years away, but looks like the argument over the next CM has already begun between the alliance members.