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Who will be the next CM of Maharashtra? Shinde, Fadnavis answer
Pulling of its best show ever, the BJP was set to lead the NDA to a thumping win in Maharashtra with over 220 leads/wins seats.
With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and the NCP alliance on course to a sweeping victory in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis answered the biggest question of the moment - who will be the next CM of the state.
Pulling of its best show ever, the BJP was set to lead the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to a thumping win in Maharashtra with over 220 leads/wins seats in its kitty, as per numbers at the time of writing this report.
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The NDA, also known as the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, hit the majority mark in early trends and took a huge lead over its rival, MVA shortly after counting of votes began at 8 am. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Opposition bloc, which comprises the Congress and the breakaway factions of Sena and NCP, led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, respectively, has been struggling to narrow down the gap and is restricted to 51 seats, as per current projections.
Who will be next Maharashtra CM?
Reacting to the thumping victory of the NDA and the question of who will be the next chief minister of the state, Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said, "Let the final results come in...Then, in the same way as we fought elections together, all three parties will sit together and take a decision."
To the same question, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said the three parties will sit together and decide.
"There will be no dispute on the CM's face. It was decided from day one that after the elections, the leaders of the three parties will sit together and decide on this. The decision will be acceptable to everyone, there is no dispute on this."
The ruling Mahayuti alliance comprises the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Ajit Pawar camp of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Fadnavis's response comes amid reports of fissures emerging within the ruling Mahayuti on who will head the next government with constituents laying claim over the chief minister's post.
On Friday, Shiv Sena MLA and party spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said the assembly elections were contested with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the face. “Voters have shown their preference for Shinde through voting. I think it is Shinde’s right (to be the next CM) and we are confident that he will be the next CM,” Shirsat said.
BJP leader Pravin Darekar, meanwhile, batted for Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the top post.
