Amidst talks that he harboured aspirations to return to Mantralaya’s top office, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has said he was not in the race for the position he held for over two years. He said he would support any candidate announced by the Congress and NCP (SP) as the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s chief ministerial face. Thackeray added that the pre-poll announcement would stop a battle within the alliance for winning more numbers than each other to stake claim to the CMO.

Thackeray was speaking at the MVA’s conclave in Mumbai on Friday. Along with Sena (UBT) president, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, state Congress president Nana Patole and a host of leaders from MVA parties encouraged some 3,000 office-bearers to take home a resolution to defeat the Mahayuti government in the Assembly elections that, according to the Election Commission, are likely to be held in November instead of October 2024.