Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that the Election Commission should announce Maharashtra assembly elections by today itself and Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi is prepared to fight together. He further added that he does not support the idea of the party with the maximum MLAs getting the Chief Minister post.
"The election commission should announce the elections of Maharashtra today, we are prepared. We will contest elections together as Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. We will see whom to make Chief Minister, Prithviraj Chavan, and Pawar Saheb is here, and you may announce anyone as a CM candidate. I will support that name," said Uddhav Thackeray.
"After our experience with BJP in alliance, we are of the view that we should not follow the policy of the party with the most number of MLAs in the alliance will get the CM post. Because in the last elections, with the BJP in alliance with us, we experienced that to get the maximum number of MLAs, the allies themselves try to put other ally candidates down. So, I will not favour the party with the most number of MLAs getting the CM post," he added further.
Speaking at the occasion Aditya Thackeray called on the MVA cadre to fight unitedly to ensure victory.
*The strength that we saw during Lok Sabha a similar strength needs to be shown in the Assembly elections. When a journalist asked me how we won if we had no PM I said those claiming 400 seats got limited to half that's our victory. If these people had won they would have raised the bulldozer and would have changed the constitution. It's not a fake narrative, they started this from Maharashtra by putting aside a constitutional government. Looted our name and symbol is this not disrespect to the constitution? Let's declare election today we are ready to fight and ready to win the Maharashtra assembly elections," he said.
Shiv Sena Leader Sanjay Raut called the MVA alliance a World Cup-winning team.
"MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) is a world cup winning team. One match we have won another we will win.
When we were with BJP, today's bjp is fake, Atal Bihari ji had said haar nahi manunga main.
Now Modi himself forgot how many inches his chest measures, he's hollow," Raut said.
Senior leader and NCP patron Sharad Pawar also gave a message of unity to the MVA bloc.
"Go forward together in upcoming elections, those who get seats from MVA we all support them and walk together in Maharashtra assembly elections," Sharad Pawar said.
Notably, the ECI will announce the schedule for assembly elections on Friday at around 3 pm. However, the Election Commission is not expected to announce the schedule for Maharashtra today.
Elections are due in Haryana, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Elections are also due in Maharashtra later in the year. Sources say the poll body will announce the schedule for Haryana and J-K today.
The schedule will include dates of filing of nominations, polling and declaration of results. On August 14, The Election Commission held a meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
—ANI