Congress Aims for Chief Minister Seat in Maharashtra's Upcoming Assembly Polls

The Congress party, bolstered by its recent success in the Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections, is confident of repeating its performance in the upcoming assembly polls. Senior leader Prithviraj Chavan claims the party will win more than 180 seats and the next chief minister will be from Congress. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which includes the Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena, is expected to play a critical role.

The Congress party is aiming to replicate its Lok Sabha election success in Maharashtra in the upcoming assembly polls, with senior leader Prithviraj Chavan confidently asserting that the next chief minister will belong to the party.

Speaking at a party event in Satara, Chavan expressed confidence that the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, of which the Congress is a key constituent, will secure more than 180 seats in the 288-member assembly.

Bolstered by winning the most seats in the recent Lok Sabha elections within Maharashtra, the Congress expects to carry this momentum into the assembly polls. The MVA, which includes the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT), secured 30 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, with Congress securing 13.

While MVA leaders have refrained from announcing a chief ministerial candidate ahead of the November elections, Chavan and other Congress leaders have been vocal about their party's prospects. Recently, senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat also expressed confidence in Congress securing the chief ministerial seat.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, however, stressed the importance of unity within the opposition alliance, while NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar emphasized that the CM candidate will be decided based on the party with the most seats within the alliance.

(With inputs from agencies.)