'Have no aspirations to become CM': Uddhav Thackery amid pushback from NCP-SP, Congress over CM face ahead of polls

Amid pushbacks from Sharad Pawar's NCP and Congress over declaring a chief minister's face ahead of the assembly elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said he didn't aspire to become Maharashtra Chief Minister. Speaking in Ahmednagar, Thackeray said he didn't aspire to become the chief minister even in 2019 as well. 

"Whether I am in power or not, I feel empowered by the support of the people. Balasaheb (Thackeray) never held a position of power but all powers were wrested with him because of people's support," the former chief minister said while addressing state government employees protesting for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme. 

Thackeray had last month asked NCP (SP) and Congress to decide on a chief ministerial face for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) but failed to get a positive response. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar had asserted that there was no need for the MVA to declare a chief minister face. The chief ministerial candidate would be decided based on which party wins the maximum number of seats in the alliance, Pawar had said. 

Thackeray further said the people of Maharashtra were his strength and power. "No one can retire me till you support me," he said. Hitting out at Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who carried out a dramatic split in Shiv Sena, Thackeray said those who betrayed their parent party, which enabled their political rise, can also betray the people. 

"For this reason, I don't want this government to come to power again. I have no aspirations to be the chief minister now and even that time as well (November 2019 when the MVA government came to power after elections). "You can't retire me. Until I enjoy your support, power is in my hands. The power of people is important," he added. 

Thackeray took oath as the chief minister after the Shiv Sena (undivided) parted ways with its long-time ally, the BJP, and joined hands with the NCP (undivided) and Congress after the assembly elections in November 2019. However, he had to resign in June 2022 after Shinde pulled off a coup and toppled the MVA government with the help of the BJP.

The Shiv Sena broke its alliance with its long-time ally BJP in 2019 due to disagreements over the power-sharing arrangement following huge success in the assembly elections. The core issue was the chief minister's post. Shiv Sena claimed that the BJP had agreed to a 50:50 power-sharing deal, which included sharing the chief minister's position for half the term between the two parties. The BJP, led by Devendra Fadnavis, denied such an agreement.

Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, felt sidelined and demanded that the chief minister's post be shared equally, but the BJP refused to concede. This impasse led Shiv Sena to break its alliance with the BJP. The Shiv Sena then formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition with the NCP and the Congress, and Uddhav Thackeray became Maharashtra's Chief Minister.