A day after Maharashtra went to the polls, a war of words broke out Thursday between Congress state president Nana Patole and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut over the chief ministerial face of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Reacting to exit polls, most of which projected a win for the BJP-led Maha Yuti, Patole initially said, “The MVA government will be formed in the state under the leadership of the Congress.”
Raut rejected the statement and said, “I cannot accept it and no one will accept it. If Patole has said this then I want to ask whether he has the command of the Congress to say such things. We will sit together and discuss it (chief ministerial candidate).
“If Patole thinks that he is going to become chief minister then this announcement should be coming from Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra,” Raut further said.
Raut and Patole have been at loggerheads earlier, too, during the seat-sharing talks and aired their disagreements publicly.
Raut also exuded confidence that the MVA would win 160 to 165 seats out of the total 288 and provide a stable government in the state.
The Sena UBT spokesperson said the MVA leaders will meet on Thursday, ahead of the counting of votes scheduled to take place on Saturday.
MVA leaders have also started reaching out to independents and smaller parties to garner support, sources said.
