As the Maharashtra election campaign heats up, political parties are positioning their chief ministerial candidates. The BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, has signaled that Devendra Fadnavis will return as chief minister if the party wins the most seats.

However, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), the BJP’s ally, is aiming for Eknath Shinde to retain his current role as CM.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar has stated that the chief ministership will go to the party that secures the largest number of seats in the alliance.

Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) has made it clear that they intend for Uddhav Thackeray to return as CM, with MP Sanjay Raut affirming Thackeray’s candidacy.

However, their allies, the NCP (Pawar) and Congress, have not explicitly supported this declaration. Pawar reiterated that the party with the strongest electoral showing will claim the post, while Congress leaders remain uncertain about the strategy their leadership in Delhi will adopt after the polls.

Intriguingly, no party has publicly committed to a definitive claim on the coveted post. In an interview with a Marathi daily, Fadnavis expressed disinterest in returning as CM, yet state BJP advertisements prominently feature him as their chief face.

Insiders suggest potential surprise candidates, including Pankaja Munde, Chandrakant Bawankule, and Vinod Tawade, could emerge post-election.

For Shinde and his Shiv Sena faction, the election’s outcome will be crucial to political survival. Despite publicly downplaying his pursuit of the CM role, Shinde has negotiated fiercely with the BJP for a favorable seat-sharing arrangement.

In contrast, the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena remains the only party with a clear and public chief ministerial plan, positioning Uddhav Thackeray as their leader-in-waiting.

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