Devendra Fadnavis or Eknath Shinde - who will be the next Maharashtra Chief Minister? That is the question that has been on the minds of political pundits and voters of Maharashtra since the state's assembly election results came out on November 23. The Mahayuti alliance is expected to announce their pick soon after a caretaker Maharashtra CM Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar and Union Minister Amit Shah
The meeting was aimed at deciding who will be the next chief minister of Maharashtra – a post for which Devendra Fadnavis has emerged as the frontrunner. Despite vociferous demands from Shiv Sena leaders that Shinde should have a go at another term at the top post, he made it clear on Wednesday that he has told PM Modi and Shah that he would abide by the BJP’s choice for the post.
Ahead of the Mahayuti meeting to discuss the power-sharing pact in the state, Shinde met Amit Shah in Delhi. Shinde, who arrived from Mumbai, drove straight to Shah's Krishna Menon Marg residence, where BJP president J P Nadda was already present.
A close aide of Shinde said on Thursday that he is unlikely to accept the post of deputy CM in the new dispensation. Sanjay Shirsat, an MLA and spokesperson of the Shiv Sena, however, said Shinde would be a part of the cabinet. "He is unlikely to be a deputy chief minister. It does not befit a person who has already served as chief minister," Shirsat told PTI.
{{/usCountry}}A close aide of Shinde said on Thursday that he is unlikely to accept the post of deputy CM in the new dispensation. Sanjay Shirsat, an MLA and spokesperson of the Shiv Sena, however, said Shinde would be a part of the cabinet. "He is unlikely to be a deputy chief minister. It does not befit a person who has already served as chief minister," Shirsat told PTI.
{{/usCountry}}Shinde's MP son Shrikant Shinde expressed pride in his father for exemplifying "alliance dharma" by prioritising collective governance over personal ambition. He lauded his father for maintaining faith in PM Modi and Amit Shah and for putting Maharashtra’s needs above his own political aspirations.
BJP-led Mahayuti's thumping win in Maharashtra
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance scripted a stunning victory in the recent state assembly elections by winning 230 seats in the 288-member House. Recovering from its Lok Sabha elections losses in the state, the BJP bagged 132 constituencies, highest among all constituents of the Mahayuti. Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP also performed well. Sena won 57 while NCP won 41 seats.
Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a setback. The grand old party registered one of its worst performances in the state assembly polls after it won only 16 seats. Sharad Pawar's NCP(SP) won just 10 seats, whereas Uddhav Thackeray's (UBT) won 20 seats.
Following the electoral victory, Eknath Shinde resigned as Chief Minister on Tuesday, as required by the constitutional process. Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan requested Shinde to continue in a caretaker role until the formation of a new government.