Maharashtra CM Selection: Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar on Thursday evening arrived at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence in Delhi for a crucial meeting that was speculated to expedite the government formation in Maharashtra, where the Mahayuti alliance retained power with a thumping majority in the recent Assembly election.
The meeting assumes significance amid reports that the BJP leadership may be mulling over names of a few of its Maratha leaders, despite the perception that Fadnavis becoming the CM for a third time is a foregone conclusion, sources cited by news agency PTI said.
Caste dynamics have assumed a greater role in the choice of the CM as an overwhelming number of the 288 MLAs from all the parties are from the Maratha community. Fadnavis is a Brahmin and first became the CM in 2014 and again for a brief while in 2019. "If the writ of RSS prevails, the chances of Fadnavis becoming the CM are bright," PTI quoted its sources as saying.
The Mahayuti, comprised of the BJP, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP, secured a resounding mandate that saw the alliance winning 230 of the 288 Assembly seats in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly election. The BJP alone bagged 132 seats followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and NCP with 41 seats.
Shinde, who stepped down as the CM of Maharashtra as part of a constitutional obligation on Tuesday and immediately took over as the caretaker head of state government, made it clear on Wednesday that he has told Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he will abide by the BJP's choice for the top post. The declaration came even as Shiv Sena leaders remained steadfast in their
demand to see Shinde serve a second term as CM.
One of Shinde's close aides, Shiv Sena MLA and spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat, said on Thursday that the leader is unlikely to accept the post of deputy CM in the new dispensation. He, however, said Shinde would be a part of the cabinet.
"He is unlikely to be a deputy chief minister. It does not befit a person who has already served as chief minister," Shirsat was quoted as saying by PTI. The Shiv Sena will nominate another leader for the deputy CM's post, he added.
Meanwhile, Shinde's MP son Shrikant Shinde expressed pride in his father for exemplifying "alliance dharma" by prioritising 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 in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
(With inputs from agencies)
