New Delhi: After the assembly polls in Maharashtra, it seems a rift has formed in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Following Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole’s statement that the party will form an MVA government in the state once the result is published, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut dismissed the statement on Thursday and called for collective discussions within the alliance, The Times of India reported.
Raut said that he would not accept the statement, and neither would anyone else. They will sit together and decide whether the Congress leadership backs Patole’s announcement. If the Congress High Command has decided Patole as chief minister, then Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sonia Gandhi must announce it.
"I will not accept this, and no one else will accept this. We will sit together and decide if Nana Patole has said this and whether he has the Congress high command's backing. The Congress high command has said that if you (Patole) are becoming the chief minister, then Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Sonia Gandhi should announce it," TOI quoted the leader.
Earlier on Thursday, Patole said that the voting trends were coming in, and people were saying that Congress candidates would be elected in the state. There is no doubt that the MVA government will be formed with its own chief minister.
Then, he accused the BJP of electoral misconduct and alleged that the saffron party distributed money and liquor, violating the election code of conduct. He pointed out that liquor bottles were found in BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s PA’s warehouse in Wardha, while the district holds a liquor ban.
“Is the BJP engaging in 'note jihad' by distributing liquor and money? BJP does not believe in the constitutional system," TOI quoted Patole.
In the first election after the split in Shiv Sena, the exit polls predict victory for the Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, despite Patole’s optimism. Votes are to be counted on November 23.