The suspense over who will be Maharashtra’s new chief minister will be resolved today (December 4), when the BJP legislature party elects its new leader, a senior party official said on Monday, reports PTI.
Earlier, the BJP appointed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani as central observers for the legislature party meeting, which will take place on Wednesday morning at Vidhan Bhawan.
Devendra Fadnavis, a two-time former chief minister, is widely seen as the frontrunner for the position. In the state assembly elections held on November 20, results were announced three days later, with the Mahayuti alliance securing 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The BJP led with 132 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena with 57 and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with 41.
Reports surfaced that caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was unhappy about not being reappointed and retreated to his village in Satara district, though he attributed the visit to a need for rest following the intense election campaign. Shinde returned to his residence in Thane on Sunday.
Shinde’s sudden “illness” and his departure to his village after discussions with the BJP leadership raised questions about his future role. However, Shinde clarified that he had called Prime Minister Modi and assured him that he would not obstruct the decision-making process. “We (the Mahayuti alliance) will go with whatever he decides,” Shinde told reporters four days after the election results were announced.
The BJP has confirmed that the new chief minister will take the oath of office at 5 PM on December 5 at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Modi and other leaders. Preparations for the event are already underway.
The BJP’s key allies in the Mahayuti coalition, the Shiv Sena and NCP, are expected to receive deputy chief minister positions in the new government.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, the son of Eknath Shinde, dismissed media reports speculating that he could be appointed deputy CM.
In a post on X, the Lok Sabha member said he had the chance of becoming a minister at the Centre after this year’s Lok Sabha polls, but refused it as he wanted to focus on working for the party organisation.
“I have no desire for a position of power. I make it clear once again that I am not in the race for any ministerial position in the state,” he said.
Amid speculations that the Shiv Sena is seeking the Home portfolio, Eknath Shinde said on Sunday that the Mahayuti allies will decide the government formation details through consensus.
NCP leader Ajit Pawar flew to Delhi on Monday, while Shinde and Fadnavis remained in Mumbai, meeting with party workers and leaders.