MPCC today criticised the BJP for declaring that it would decide on its Chief Ministerial candidate only after the assembly elections, saying that it had double standards for Lok Sabha and state polls.
In a statement, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) spokesman Sachin Sawant described the move as "hypocrisy" and demanded that the BJP declare its Chief Ministerial candidate ahead of the polls.
"Else they should apologise to the nation for highlighting their move of declaring the PM candidate before (Lok Sabha) elections," he said.
"In the assembly elections late last year, it had announced the chief ministerial candidates before the polls. Hence, the party should announce its CM candidate in Maharashtra as well four months before the polls. Otherwise, the party should apologise to the nation for raking up the issue of necessity of such a post," he said.
Yesterday, BJP said Union Minister Gopinath Munde would lead the party campaign to wrest power in Maharashtra from the Congress-NCP alliance, which is now into its third term in office.
"Munde will lead our poll campaign for the assembly polls," Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Vinod Tawde had told reporters yesterday.
Tawde, however, parried a question as to who would be the chief ministerial candidate in the event of BJP securing the largest number of seats among the Mahayuti alliance partners, which includes Shiv Sena and three other outfits.
"After the poll results, the party's parliamentary board will decide who will be the leader of BJP legislature party," Tawde had said.
