Speaking to media persons, he said contesting the assembly elections without a 'CM face' would be a risky proposition, creating nervousness among the Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies like the Nationalist Congress Party (SP).

Raut said it was because of Thackeray's leadership that the MVA had performed well in the last Lok Sabha elections and the (UBT) chief, who holds 31 of the 48 seats here, could be the 'CM face' for the October 2024 assembly elections.

“It would be dangerous to face the elections without a known CM face. Maharashtra has seen the good work done by Thackeray as MVA CM (2019-2022), followed by an excellent performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The MVA should give a CM face to the people,” Raut said.

Earlier, some MVA leaders had indicated that all three parties.

However, Raut's sudden statement has created confusion among the MVA.

Incidentally, this will be the last session of the current 14th Assembly, whose tenure is set to end in October, when the next state elections are likely to be held, worrying both the ruling party and the opposition as they prepare for the upcoming elections. ,