Why does NCP think Ajit Pawar could be the next Maharashtra CM? Hint: Strike rate | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Following the Mahayuti The alliance’s overwhelming victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, speculation is rife about who will become the next chief minister of the state. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Sunday hinted at the possibility of Ajit Pawar taking over the top position, highlighting NCP’s strong performance.
“Ajit Pawar could also be the CM. Our (NCP) strike rate is very good. There will be a discussion about this soon,” the winner of the Yevla constituency told reporters, signaling the party’s ambitions in shaping the new government.

Pune NCP president Deepak Mankar also extended his support to Pawar and described him as an able leader. “The workers of NCP wish that if ‘Dada’ (Ajit Pawar) becomes CM, Maharashtra will get a good direction. We know what kind of work he has done as deputy CM for the last 2.5 years… Mahayuti is taking everyone with him,” Mankar told ANI.
However, the BJP seems to have its own preference. BJP’s winning candidate from Savner Ashishrao Deshmukh highlighted the strong support within the BJP for former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Deshmukh said, “The people of Maharashtra have decided to stand with BJP and Mahayuti. We have achieved unprecedented results in the state. Our aim is to meet the expectations of the people and make Maharashtra the number one state in the next five years. The Parliamentary Board will decide on the face of the CM, but BJP workers and MLAs prefer Devendra Fadnavis for the role.”
In the Maharashtra assembly elections, Mahayuti scored a significant victory by winning 230 seats out of the total 288 constituencies.
The BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats, while their coalition partners performed well with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena securing 57 seats, and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s NCP securing 41 seats in the state assembly.
The opposition alliance faced significant setbacks with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) winning 20 seats, Congress getting 16 seats and Sharad Pawar’s NCP(SP) winning only 10 seats.