Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Maharashtra vice-president, Kunal Tilak, has backed Devendra Fadnavis to be the next chief minister of the state.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Tilak said Fadnavis was not only a natural choice for the CM but also it was necessary that he gets the post. "With three consecutive century scores, it is not only natural but also necessary for Devendra Fadnavis to become the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra," he said.
Tilak said the Mahayuti partners — Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar — would stand strong side by side with Devendra Fadnavis like he did for the past 2.5 years. "Mahayuti has strong communication between leaders and it will show in the next few days," he added.
When asked about the projects the new government should focus on, Tilak said, "In the next five years, the Mahayuti will complete on priority the long-standing infrastructure projects like the Pune Ring Road, expansion of metro lines in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, completion of Bullet Train Project, Mumbai-Delhi expressway project & numerous social schemes which will benefit the youth, women, farmers and the poor. We also look forward to celebrating Maharashtra becoming a $1 trillion economy in the coming years."
Tilak, the son of late BJP MLA Mukta Tilak, was in the running for the Kasba Peth Assembly seat. He had on numerous occasions openly expressed his aspirations to contest the seat once held by his late mother. However, the saffron party chose to nominate Hemant Rasane. Rasane defeated the Congress's sitting MLA Ravindra Dhangekar, winning by a margin of 19,423 votes.
Meanwhile, Mahayuti allies Shiv Sena and NCP also want their party chiefs to become the CM.
"Eknath Shinde successfully provided 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community (under the economically and socially backward category) and helped the community through the Annasaheb Patil and Sarathi corporations," Shiv Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre said, claiming that the community, hence, stood behind the Mahayuti in the elections. "The demand that the chief minister should be from the Maratha community is gaining strength," she added.
On the other hand, Pune NCP President Deepak Mankar said that the party workers are in favour of making 'dada' (Ajit Pawar) the state's chief minister.
"The workers of NCP wish that under 'dada' (Ajit Pawar), Maharashtra will get a good direction. Dada has the capacity to do work... we know the kind of work he did in Maharashtra as deputy CM in the last 2.5 years... let's see... Mahayuti is taking everyone along," Mankar said.
When asked about the CM's face, he said it had been decided that leaders of three parties would sit together and decide on the chief minister. "PM Modi and Amit Shah will take the decision, everyone will sit together. Fadnavis, Shinde, and Dada (Ajit Pawar) — all three of them are capable," he added.
Of the 288 Assembly constituencies in the state, Mahayuti secured a massive mandate of 230 seats. The BJP won 132 seats while its allies — the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, won 57 seats, and the NCP, led by Ajit Pawar, won 41 seats.
On the other hand, the constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a rude jolt with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning 20 seats, Congress 16, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) winning only 10 seats.
