Our Chief Minister is here: Did Devendra Fadnavis confirm Mahayuti’s face?

Without taking any name, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday appeared to hint that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde would likely be the chief ministerial face of the Mahayuti alliance for the upcoming Maharashtra polls. With Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar by his side, Fadnavis said “our Chief Minister is sitting here” as he navigated the thorny issue at an event to release a report card of the government’s work.
Challenging NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar to announce the chief ministerial face of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Fadnavis said, “We don’t need to announce the chief minister’s face, our chief minister is sitting here”.
“The Maha Vikas Aghadi is not announcing the chief minister’s face because they don’t think their chief minister can come after the elections. I challenge Pawar Sahab to declare their face,” the former Chief Minister said.
Fadnavis, the BJP’s most prominent face in Maharashtra, said the seat-sharing discussions among the ruling allies were in the final stages.
The tactical answer by Fadnavis is being seen as a move to not antagonise the Mahayuti allies. It is no secret that both Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar harbour aspirations of becoming the next Maharashtra Chief Minister.
Even Eknath Shinde did not directly address the issue, saying the government’s two years of work and performance was the face of the alliance. “The MVA should announce their face as the leader of the opposition,” Shinde said while taking a dig at the opposition.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi, which comprises the NCP (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Congress, has also stayed away from publicly declaring their chief ministerial face. Earlier this week, Uddhav Thackeray dodged the question by saying that the MVA would name its face only after the Mahayuti does the same.
“Let Mahayuti announce their Chief Minister’s face first, then we will let you all know who our face is. Being in the government, Mahayuti should announce their face first,” Thackeray said during a press briefing in Mumbai on Sunday.
Sharad Pawar has on several occasions said the chief ministerial face of the alliance would be based on which party wins the most seats in the elections.
Maharashtra will go to polls on November 20. Votes will be counted on November 23, along with that of Jharkhand.