A day after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray created a stir by saying the Chief Minister’s post was not a priority for him, the party has clarified that it has not given up its claim on the post.
“Maharashtra’s Chief Minister will be from the Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray will run the government,” party MP Sanjay Raut said on Sunday.
On Saturday while addressing a rally in Nanded, Mr. Thackeray had said, “I do not dream of the CM’s post. My priority is to listen to people’s problems and install a saffron government in Maharashtra.”
Party leaders say the statement should not be taken literally. “It means Uddhav Thackeray is not chasing the post. He is focusing on solving people’s problems. If we perform well and shiv sainiks demand that he become the Chief Minister, he will have to heed what they say,” said a senior Shiv Sena leader.
However, some in the party are wondering whether Mr. Thackeray intends to stay out of the Chief Minister’s chair and install a leader from the party for the post. Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray had used this strategy and claimed he ran the government through “remote control”.
Mr. Thackeray’s comments came at the time when the Shiv Sena and its ally the Bharatiya Janata Party are battling over the seat-sharing arrangement for the Maharashtra polls. The BJP has demanded half the Assembly seats from its ally and has made it clear it is also interested in the Chief Minister’s post. Mr. Thackeray’s comments had triggered speculation on whether the Shiv Sena had ceded its claim to the post.
