Uddhav Thackeray wants to be Maharashtra CM

Clarifies there is no ill will between alliance partners

Even as the seat-sharing agreement with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is still in the works, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray has staked claim to the chief minister's chair in Maharashtra. Without munching words, he said the his party will not play second fiddle despite BJP winning more Lok Sabha seats and eyeing the CM's post after the Assembly polls, slated for October.

“No matter what, the chief minister will be from the Shiv Sena. The ‘face’ that will rule the state in the event of the saffron alliance coming to power will be from the “Shiv Sena only,” said Uddhav. He asked the voters to give him a chance and assured that the people would not regret.

“I don’t dream of becoming the CM, but I don’t shy away from responsibility either. I am Balasaheb’s son. If given the responsibility, I will make Maharashtra number one (state in India),” Uddhav said at a function organised by a TV channel.

Uddhav’s announcement is yet another blow to BJP, after the Sena chief rejected BJP’s demand for an equal share in seat-sharing arrangement. The BJP, after winning 23 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, made a strong case for 144 seats. Sena leaders, however, told its 28-year-old partner that the party will contest 150 seats. During 2009 polls, Shiv Sena had contested 169 seats and won 44, while BJP bagged 46 of the 119 seats it contested.

Asked if he will be the face of the Maharashtra elections, Thackeray said, “...Before the (Lok Sabha) polls, when I visited Delhi, I said the country needed a face. Who will be the country's leader? Then Narendrabhai (Modi) came to the forefront. There was success. Now, it's the turn of Maharashtra. The people want a face. They will vote, and they want a face.”

Uddhav, who recently met BJP President Amit Shah, clarified there was no ill-will between the alliance partners, and said there was no such thing as “big brother, younger brother” in his mind.