Mumbai. Shiv Sena (Ubhatha) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday wanted to know why the Mahayuti alliance is unable to decide the Chief Minister and form the government despite getting an overwhelming majority in the assembly elections. In the elections for the 288-member assembly in Maharashtra, the Mahayuti alliance retained power by winning 230 seats. The grand alliance includes BJP, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). BJP got 132 seats, Shiv Sena got 57 seats and NCP got 41 seats.
While talking to reporters in New Delhi, Raut criticized caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and said that it is unfortunate that he does politics in the name of Bal Thackeray, but the future of his party is decided in Delhi. He said that the future of Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena was never decided in Delhi but in Mumbai.
He asked, “They (Mahayuti) have majority. In this, BJP has about 140 MLAs which takes them very close to majority. Still, Mahayuti has not been able to give a Chief Minister to Maharashtra till now. What are the reasons for this?” Taking aim at Mahayuti, Raut said, “If you get majority, then you should get your Chief Minister in the next 24 hours. But, the people of Maharashtra want to know what problem the BJP has in deciding the next Chief Minister.”
NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said that when there is an alliance of two-three parties, it takes time to discuss and then reach a conclusion. Bhujbal said, “In some cases it has taken a month. The swearing-in ceremony of the new government should take place in the next two-three days.”