Amid ongoing suspense over the chief ministerial candidate, the new government of Maharashtra’s Mahayuti alliance is set to be formed on December 5, a senior BJP leader said.
The leader indicated that Devendra Fadnavis is the frontrunner for the chief minister’s post, according to a PTI report.
In the recently concluded Maharashtra assembly elections, the Mahayuti alliance—comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)—secured a decisive win, claiming 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and NCP with 41 seats.
Despite the poll results being declared on November 23, a decision on the chief minister has yet to be made. Shinde, Fadnavis, and Pawar met with BJP president JP Nadda and Union minister Amit Shah late Thursday to discuss power-sharing arrangements.
A crucial Mahayuti meeting planned for Friday was postponed and is now expected to take place on Sunday, as caretaker Chief Minister Shinde traveled to his native Satara district, delaying the formation of the new government.
Fadnavis, who has served as chief minister twice and was deputy chief minister in the previous government, remains the front-runner for the position.
While there has been no announcement yet regarding the BJP legislature party’s meeting to elect its new leader, Shinde has expressed his full support for the BJP leadership’s decision on the CM post, stating that he will not be an obstacle.
Ajit Pawar’s NCP has also extended its backing to Fadnavis for the chief minister role.