Maharashtra CM highlights: Thackeray suggests MVA's statewide protest against EVMs

“The date (of the oath-taking ceremony) comes from the Governor's Office. We congratulate the person who is going to take the oath, but anarchy is seen in the country. Someone has to claim to form Govt, show majority and then all this is decided,” said Shiv Sena UBT MLA Aaditya Thackeray.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has claimed that government formation in Maharashtra was delayed because the ruling Mahayuti parties never thought they will come to power again.

"They (Mahayuti allies) never thought they would come to power again, so they had no planning on who will be the CM, the council ministers. This is why government formation is taking time," Thackeray said, according to PTI.

The next Maharashtra chief minister will be from the Bharatiya Janata Party and there will be two deputy CMs from the Mahayuti allies, Ajit Pawar said on Saturday amid suspense over the new pick. More details here.

BJP Maharashtra chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule took to X to announce that the Mahayuti government's swearing-in ceremony will take place on December 5 at Azad Maidan, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Maharashtra Congress on Saturday issued a show cause notice to its Nagpur candidate Hrishikesh alias Bunty Shelke for his remarks against the party and state president Nana Patole.

The notice has sought Shelke's response within two days on why he should not be suspended from the party for defaming Congress and Patole.

NCP(Sharad Pawar) leader Jitendra Awhad, while speaking to news agency ANI, said, "We wanted to have a recounting of the machines that were there on the table along with the data. Now, they are saying that the data has been wiped out and they will show new data, and re-count and show it. Then, no mistake will be seen in it, is it a joke?"

"The data on which we have doubts has been wiped out, so are we blind? All this is done by ECI...After losing the Lok Sabha elections, votes were increased. 46 lakh votes in 4-5 months, only in Maharashtra," he added.

Union minister Ramdas Athawale reacted to Congress leader Bhai Jagtap's “kutta” remark for the Election Commission and said, “It is not good for a leader like Bhai Jagtap to make comments like these... He should apologise, otherwise legal action should be taken against him. He should accept the mandate given by the people.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has suggested that all MVA partners, including the NCP(Sharad Pawar) and Congress, should undertake statewide protest against EVM in Maharashtra.

This comes in the backdrop of the questions raised by the opposition against the voter turnout percentage, increased number of voters and EVM discrepancies.

Sena UBT leader Anand Dubey asked questions over the delay in deciding the CM face in Maharashtra.

"Elections were held on November 20 and the results were announced on November 23. It has been a week since then... There is no government in the state. They have got a clear mandate but they don't know who the CM will be... When will they start caring about the needs of the people... We are unable to understand their plan of action," Dubey told news agency ANI.

"In every state, they had declared the CM face on time so why are they giving such a treatment to Maharashtra?... Do they want Central rule in Maharashtra?" he added.

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Saturday claimed that the results of the state assembly elections reflect a lack of transparency, adding that the government and the Election Commission should clear people's doubts that they have raised over the poll process.

"Our stand is that this verdict is the murder of democracy," Patole said in a post on X.

Congress Bhai Jagtap, who has hit the headlines for his "kutta" remark for the Election Commission, has reacted to BJP leader Kirit Somaiya's statement against him.

Somaiya had said that he has written to the EC and also filed a complaint with the Mumbai Police Commissioner against Jagtap's remarks.

"This is the same Kirit Somaiya who used to roam around with EVMs and warn against it. What happened now? Our democracy and constitution have given me the right to speak. Not the Prime Minister, BJP or RSS. I am speaking on behalf of the people of Maharashtra," Jagtap told news agency ANI in response.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat on Saturday told news agency ANI that whenever Eknath Shinde feels like he needs some to think, he goes to his native village.

"By tomorrow evening, he will take a big decision. It can be anything, a political decision...The oath-taking ceremony should be held before the 5th December." he added.

Sena UBT leader Ambadas Danve on Saturday said that only the estranged Thackeray cousins, Uddhav and Raj, can decide if they want to join hands.

Danve said Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's political position is ambiguous and people cannot understand whether he is for or against the state government.

"After every poll defeat, there are such talks (that the Thackeray cousins should come together). You will find these discussions every 8-10 days after an election verdict is out. Only they (the Thackeray cousins) can decide if they want to (come together). We have no role," the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council told reporters.

Maharashtra CM live updates: Shiv Sena leader Ganesh says about the chief minister post in Maharashtra, “As a worker, I can say that CM sahab is not worried. He has done a lot of work in the last 2.5 years. We are confident that under CM Shinde's leadership, we will win the upcoming BMC elections. I am confident that he will become the CM.”

Maharashtra CM live updates: Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule responded to NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar’s statement, saying, "When Sharad Pawar won the 2014 elections, he praised the functioning of EVMs. Similarly, in 2017, after his daughter, Supriya Sule, and other NCP (SCP) MPs won the elections, he said nothing about the EVMs. The public has shown its trust in the Mahyuti government's performance in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Many leaders and workers from NCP-SCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Congress are eager to join BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP. Pawar is lying, and they should learn from this defeat."

Maharashtra CM live updates: Shiv Sena leaders familiar with the situation have revealed that despite Eknath Shinde's press briefing on Wednesday, where he stated he would abide by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision regarding the next chief minister, he is still negotiating for a better position. A senior Shiv Sena member told HT, “If Shinde, who led the Mahayuti to such a significant victory, is not returning as chief minister, he should be offered the home ministry.”

Maharashtra CM live updates: NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday alleged that Maharashtra witnessed an unprecedented misuse of power and money to control the election mechanism during the recent state polls, a situation he claimed was unlike any seen in previous state or national elections.

Pawar made these remarks during a visit to senior activist Baba Adhav, who has been protesting against the alleged "misuse of EVMs" in the Maharashtra elections.

Adhav, in his 90s, launched a three-day protest on Thursday at Phule Wada, the historic residence of social reformer Jyotiba Phule, in Pune.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP), has accused the ruling alliance of EVM manipulation in the elections, which resulted in a landslide victory for the Mahayuti coalition.

Maharashtra CM live updates: Amid suspense over power sharing in Maharashtra, and the chief minister's post, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat on Saturday insisted that the party must get the crucial home department in the new Maharashtra government and claimed attempts were being made to sideline caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Talking to PTI, Shirsat said considering Shinde's positive image and the schemes he rolled out, he would have contributed more if he had gotten two and half years more as the CM.

"The home department should be with the party (Shiv Sena). The department is (usually) with the deputy chief minister. It would not be right if the chief minister heads the home department," said the MLA who represents the Aurangabad West assembly seat.

Maharashtra CM live updates: As the Mahayuti has yet to announce Maharashtra's Chief Minister, CPI leader D Raja expressed concern on Friday, pointing out that while the people voted in favour of the BJP and its allies, they are unable to choose their leader.

He described this as a reflection of internal contradictions within the BJP and its allies.

Raja suggested that the situation stems from "ideological, political, or personality issues" among the Mahayuti allies, calling it a matter of concern.

Maharashtra CM live updates: Saturday will mark a week since the Mahayuti won a resounding mandate in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, but despite the clear mandate, the big question about who will be chief minister remains unanswered. Until late Friday night, there was no clarity on what the contours of the new government might look like. To complicate matters, caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde, known to be a workaholic, has left for his farmhouse in Satara. Dig deeper

Maharashtra CM live updates: After meeting with Shah and Nadda, Eknath Shinde said that the meeting was "good and positive", adding that another meeting will be conducted, which is expected to yield a decision for the Chief Minister face.

"The meeting was good and positive. This was the first meeting. We had a discussion with Amit Shah and JP Nadda...There will be another meeting of the Mahayuti. In this meeting, a decision will be taken about who will be the Chief Minister. The meeting will be held in Mumbai," he said.

Maharashtra CM live updates: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat stated that the name of Maharashtra's Chief Ministerial candidate should be revealed soon, adding that caretaker CM Eknath Shinde is expected to make a ‘big decision’ within the next 24 hours.

Shirsat also emphasized that Eknath Shinde has no plans to accept a position in the Union Cabinet, as his focus remains on Maharashtra politics.