‘If Eknath Shinde doesn’t take oath as Maharashtra Dy CM…': Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant's big statement

While Devendra Fadnavis will take oath as Maharashtra CM, there is less clarity on whether Eknath Shinde will take oath as deputy CM.

Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant said none of the elected MLAs of the party will take up any ministerial position if outgoing chief minister and party supremo Eknath Shinde does not take oath as deputy chief minister in the new Maharashtra government on Thursday.

Maharashtra's caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde in Thane. (Praful Gangurde /HT Photo)

While BJP legislature party leader Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn-in as the chief minister of Maharashtra for the third time, there is no clarity on whether Eknath Shinde will take oath as his deputy, even though speculation suggest he would. NCP head Ajit Pawar is also expected to take oath as deputy chief minister.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Uday Samant said all ministers went to Eknath Shinde on Wednesday to convince him to join the new Maharashtra government.

Samant said he and others told Eknath Shinde to join as deputy chief minister or else they won't take ministership.

Shinde unhappy over deputy post?

The Shiv Sena leader had left for his native village in Satara district last Friday amid speculation that he was not happy with the way the new government was shaping up. He developed a high fever in his village.

While reports had claimed that caretaker CM Eknath Shinde had conveyed his displeasure at not being given a second chance as CM by retreating to his village Dare in Satara district, he attributed the visit to a need for rest after a hectic election campaign.

The delayed swearing-in ceremony of the Maharashtra government under Devendra Fadnavis comes after two weeks of intense negotiations following the assembly polls, voting for which took place on November 20 and results were declared on November 23.

Devendra Fadnavis had emerged as the frontrunner for the top post as the BJP alone secured 132 seats in the 288-member House. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Maharashtra, also known as ‘Mahayuti’, includes the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar camp of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

With its allies Shiv Sena and NCP, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition secured a landslide victory, bagging 230 seats.

Uday Samant also said on Thursday that the party would collectively work to win Corporation Zilla Parishad and Nagar panchayat polls on the bow-and-arrow symbol.