Mumbai, Sep 18: Will Maharashtra get the first woman Chief Minister after the upcoming Assembly election? The buzz in the state started after AAP announced Atishi as the Chief Minister face in Delhi following Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation.
The change in Delhi triggered Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad and former state cabinet minister to strongly make a case for a woman Chief Minister by naming NCP SP MP Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray’s wife Rashmi Thackeray as the possible Chief Minister candidates in Maharashtra.
However, Shiv Sena leader and former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar though agreed to Gaikwad’s argument in favour of a women Chief Minister but also clarified that Rashmi Thackeray’s name should not be there, citing she had never shown interest in active politics.
“I will be very happy if Maharashtra gets its first woman Chief Minister. Maharashtra is a state that gives opportunities to women. Maharashtra was the first to pass the reservation bill giving representation to women. So I would like to see a woman become the Chief Minister after the election,” said Gaikwad.
She also pointed out that Supriya Sule from NCP and Rashmi Thackeray from Shiv Sena UBT are contenders for the post of Chief Minister.
While defending her move to name Supriya Sule and Rashmi Thackeray as the possible Chief Minister nominees, Gaikwad took a dig at the BJP saying that the party did not give a ministerial berth to a women legislator during the MahaYuti government.
When asked whether she would want to be the Chief Minister, Gaikwad said, “I am a Congress worker. We have several faces for the Chief Minister’s post. But as per the customary tradition of the party, MLAs decide the face for the Chief Minister post after the election.”
However, Pednekar reiterated that she is in favour of a woman becoming the state Chief Minister but claimed Rashmi Thackeray should not be dragged into this.
“Rashmi Thackeray never showed interest in politics. The fact that she is always with her husband does not mean that she is active in politics. There should be a woman Chief Minister in Maharashtra. However, Rashmi Thackeray’s name should not be discussed without any reason,” she said.
Gaikwad’s move to start a debate is important especially when Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray was insisting that the Maha Vikas Aghadi should declare the Chief Minister’s face before the election.
However, Congress and NCP SP rejected Thackeray’s proposal saying that the elected representatives will decide the Chief Minister’s face after the election.
NCP SP chief Sharad Pawar and his daughter and party MP Supriya Sule announced that the party is not interested in the Chief Minister’s post while putting the ball in the court of Congress and Shiv Sena UBT.
–IANS
