Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis next CM, Eknath Shinde's son his deputy? Where things stand

The new govt of Maharashtra is yet to be sworn in, more than a week after the BJP-led NDA, also known as Mahayuti, clinched a landslide victory in state polls.

The stage seems set for Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Devendra Fadnavis to take oath as Maharashtra chief minister on December 5, with his party leaders claiming that his name has been finalised for the top post, for which outgoing and Caretaker CM Eknath Shinde was also a contender.

Maharashtra Caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. (Eknath Shinde-X)

While the new government is yet to be sworn in, Fadnavis is likely to be elected as the legislature party leader in a meeting to be held either on December 2 or 3, more than a week after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), also known as the Mahayuti in Maharashtra, clinched a landslide victory in state polls held on November 20.

The results were announced on November 23.

The Mahayuti won 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The BJP led by winning 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena got 57 and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) bagged 41 seats.

The oath-taking ceremony of the Mahayuti government is scheduled for December 5 evening at Azad Maidan in Mumbai in the presence of PM Modi.

Maharashtra government formation | Key points

• Fadnavis to be next CM, claims BJP leader: The name of Devendra Fadnavis has been finalised as the new chief minister of Maharashtra who will be elected as the legislature party leader in a meeting to be held either on December 2 or 3, news agency PTI quoted a senior BJP leader as saying on Sunday night. Earlier in the day, outgoing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he would support the BJP's decision to pick the new chief minister.
• Shinde returns from village: Caretaker CM and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde had left for his native village in Satara district on 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. Talking to reporters in his village on Sunday before leaving for Mumbai, Shinde said, "I have already said the decision on CM's post taken by the BJP leadership will be acceptable to me and Shiv Sena and will have my full backing". Shrikant Shinde has clearly denied any talks of him becoming the deputy CM.
• Sena leader irks Ajit Pawar's NCP: Former Union minister and BJP leader Raosaheb Danve said if the undivided Sena and BJP had contested the elections together, they would have won more seats. Shiv Sena MLA Gulabrao Patil also echoed the same, claiming that the Eknath Shinde-led party would have won 90-100 seats in polls had Ajit Pawar's NCP not been part of the alliance. "We contested 85 seats. Without Ajitdada, we could have won 90-100 seats. Shinde never asked why Ajit Pawar-led NCP was inducted in government," Gulabrao Patil, a minister in the outgoing government, told a news channel. Hitting back, NCP spokesperson Amol Mitkari asked Patil to not shoot off his "loose tongue".
• Maharashtra election results: The BJP emerged as the largest party, bagging 132 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, while its allies--the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, and the NCP, led by Ajit Pawar--secured 57 and 41 seats, respectively. Voting for the Maharashtra Assembly elections took place on November 20, while the counting of votes happened on November 23.