MVA likely to appoint Uddhav Thackeray as campaign chief for assembly elections | Mumbai News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leadership is likely to appoint former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray as the campaign chief for the assembly elections, though the CM’s name will be decided after the election results to avoid disagreements among its leaders over projecting a CM candidate.
The MVA, comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) has called a joint meeting of its prominent office-bearers in Mumbai on Friday.
At this meeting, senior leaders of the parties are expected to disclose the understanding they have reached for the assembly elections after Thackeray’s recent meeting with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) is hosting Friday’s meeting. It is expected that the meeting will provide clarity for the MVA to kickstart joint election work at the ground level.
Earlier, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that there would be a Thackeray-2 government after the elections. However, former CM and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan had noted that there is a tradition in Maharashtra where the party in an alliance that wins more seats gets the CM’s post.
Taking a dig at Congress, Raut added that there were many in Congress eyeing the CM post, including some former CMs, but if their party has any candidate in mind, they should declare it.
On Thursday, reacting to reports that Uddhav Thackeray is likely to be appointed as the Aghadi’s campaign chief, Raut told a TV news channel that it was similar to there being a “need for a hero to fight with a villain in cinema.” He added, “Uddhav Thackeray is our party face, and he worked hard campaigning for MVA candidates during the Lok Sabha elections.”
Uddhav’s rival and chief minister Eknath Shinde stated that since Uddhav had abandoned Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology, it did not matter if he was appointed “campaign head or to any other post.
Our Ladki Bahin (a reference to the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, a flagship scheme of the Shinde-led government) will not listen to them.”
A Sena (UBT) leader said Uddhav commands a good reputation and has the sympathy factor going for him, so it would help if he is the face of the MVA alliance.