Rift in MVA? Raut, Patole spar over CM face
A day after the assembly elections ended in Maharashtra, a public spat has emerged between Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and Congress leader Nana Patole. Both leaders are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which also includes the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The bone of contention? The leadership of a possible future government in Maharashtra.
Patole's claim of Congress-led government sparks controversy
The discord was triggered by Patole's remark that the new government would be formed under "Congress leadership." Raut vehemently denied this assertion, saying, "I will not accept this and no one else will accept this." He added that any decision on leadership should be taken by the Congress high command. "The Congress high command has said that if you are becoming the chief minister, then Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sonia Gandhi should announce it," he said.
Raut insists on Congress high command's decision for leadership
This disagreement over leadership comes after the MVA partners previously fought over seat sharing before they finally reached a consensus. A majority of exit polls have predicted a comeback for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti in the Maharashtra elections with a clean sweep. In the 2019 elections, the BJP won the most seats (105), followed by the Shiv Sena (56) and the Congress (44). The results for both Maharashtra and Jharkhand will be announced on November 23.
