Mahayuti, BJP to decide on Maharashtra's next CM: Chandrashekhar Bawankule

Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule stated on Sunday that the decision on the next Chief Minister of the state will be made by the leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the BJP’s leadership.

Speaking at a press conference, Bawankule highlighted that the BJP received support from all sections of society in the Maharashtra assembly elections, while Congress was rejected. He pointed out that Congress’ state unit chief, Nana Patole, won his seat in Sakoli by a narrow margin of only around 200 votes.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which includes Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, secured a decisive victory on Saturday by winning 230 out of the 288 assembly seats.

Meanwhile, the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition fell short, winning 46 seats. The BJP bagged 132 seats, while Shiv Sena and NCP won 57 and 41 seats, respectively. In the MVA, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) won 10 seats, Congress took 16, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) secured 20 seats.

When asked about the next Chief Minister of the state, Bawankule stated that the decision would be made by the Mahayuti leaders in consultation with the BJP’s parliamentary board. He added that the selection process would align with the alliance’s governance plans.

Bawankule also emphasised that the people of Maharashtra had "rejected" the Congress. He urged Patole to listen to some of his own party colleagues, who have been calling for his resignation as the state Congress chief. The Congress’ "lies" during the election campaign, Bawankule claimed, were a major factor in no party gaining enough seats to stake a claim for the position of Leader of Opposition in the assembly.

Notably, the BJP-led Mahayuti’s overwhelming victory leaves the Maharashtra assembly without a Leader of Opposition, as no party outside the ruling alliance has been able to secure the mandatory 29 seats.

Bawankule remarked, "The mandate of the people in this assembly election is against Congress. Having no Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra legislative assembly is the karma of Congress." Bawankule also pointed to the Congress’ earlier success in the Lok Sabha elections, claiming that the opposition party had misled the public. "The Congress succeeded in fooling the people during the Lok Sabha campaign, but it failed to repeat that success in this assembly election," he said.

Targeting Patole, Bawankule added, "He is dreaming of becoming the Chief Minister, but he just about managed to win his seat with the help of postal votes. If he does not learn a lesson from this outcome, he may not be there in the House after the next assembly poll."

In addition to the political developments, Bawankule announced that the BJP intends to launch a large membership drive in Maharashtra. "Our goal is to enrol 1.51 crore primary members. We want individuals active in the social and religious sectors to join. This will aid in expanding our membership. The newly inducted members will gain insight into government schemes and policies, thereby fortifying our presence in the state," he explained.

Bawankule also commented on the reported appeal by Islamic scholar Sajjad Nomani to Muslims to vote for the MVA and his subsequent apology. He stated that some individuals tried to divide society on religious lines to target the BJP, which appeared to work in favour of the opposition during the Lok Sabha polls.

However, Bawankule noted that when the public realised that Congress had aligned itself with such divisive figures, their sentiment shifted. "The efforts of Congress and other opposition parties fell flat," he said, adding that Nomani's apology held no significance after the decisive mandate.

"The people of Maharashtra chose to stand by the 'ek hai toh safe hai' motto advocated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Bawankule asserted. Finally, Bawankule acknowledged the popularity of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath among Maharashtra voters. He noted that there was significant demand for Adityanath's rallies, including on the final day of campaigning, November 18.

However, due to Adityanath's pre-scheduled rallies in Jharkhand for the second phase of the assembly polls on November 20, these requests could not be fulfilled. "Be it Lok Sabha polls or state elections, the demand for Adityanath's rallies is very high," Bawankule concluded.