Eknath Shinde, Fadnavis, Pawar Meet Amit Shah At His Residence; Suspense Continues Over Next Maha CM

A crucial meeting to finalise the government formation and pick the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra was held at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence in Delhi.

However, the suspense of the next Chief Minister as continued as the Mahayuti is yet to announce the name.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is reportedly considering several Maratha leaders for the Chief Minister post. However, many believe that Devendra Fadnavis might secure his third term. The caste dynamics are pivotal since most of the 288 MLAs belong to the Maratha community. Fadnavis, a Brahmin, first became CM in 2014 and briefly in 2019.

Despite calls from Shiv Sena leaders for Shinde to continue as CM, he has expressed his willingness to support BJP's choice. On Wednesday, Shinde informed Prime Minister Modi and Shah of his decision to abide by their selection for the top post. A close associate of Shinde mentioned that he is unlikely to accept a deputy CM role in the new government.

Sanjay Shirsat, Shiv Sena MLA and spokesperson, confirmed that Eknath Shinde would remain part of the cabinet but not as deputy chief minister. "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. Instead, Shiv Sena plans to nominate another leader for this position.

Eknath Shinde's son, MP Shrikant Shinde, praised his father's commitment to "alliance dharma." In a post on X, he highlighted his father's dedication to collective governance over personal ambition. "I am proud of my father and chief leader of the Shiv Sena. He kept faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and set an example of the alliance dharma, keeping his personal ambition aside," he said.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance achieved remarkable success in recent state assembly elections by securing 230 out of 288 seats. The BJP emerged victorious in 132 constituencies, marking its highest tally among alliance members. Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena won 57 seats while Ajit Pawar's NCP secured 41 seats.

In contrast, the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) faced significant setbacks during these elections. The Congress party recorded one of its poorest performances with only 16 seats won. Sharad Pawar's NCP(SP) managed just 10 seats while Uddhav Thackeray's faction secured 20 seats.

The Maharashtra assembly elections took place on November 20 with results announced on November 23.