Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
The new Maharashtra chief minister’s name is expected to be announced after the state Bharatiya Janata Party legislature party meeting at Vidhan Bhawan on Wednesday morning, December 4, where the party will elect its leader.
Reports indicated that Maharashtra caretaker CM Eknath Shinde has agreed to serve as deputy chief minister in the incoming Mahayuti government after hectic parleys for the state’s power-sharing formula.
India Today reported that this can be seen as a significant development as Eknath Shinde had been reluctant to accept to work as a deputy of Devendra Fadnavis, who is poised to become the new Maharastra chief minister.
The swearing-in ceremony for the new Mahayuti government is set for December 5. Eknath Shinde will be sworn in alongside Devendra Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar at a high-profile oath-taking ceremony at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan.
Top updates on Maharashtra CM news
On Tuesday evening, Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP met with Eknath Shinde, the first in-person meeting since their discussions in Delhi last week for government formation. The hour-long meeting’s details remain unclear.
Devendra Fadnavis, seen as the frontrunner for the top post in the new BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government, met Eknath Shinde at the latter’s official residence ‘Varsha’ in Mumbai.
Some view it as an outreach effort by the BJP to placate an ally which is weighing its options, while others believe it served as a preliminary discussion regarding the swearing-in ceremony, news agency PTI reported.
As preparations intensify for the swearing-in event at Azad Maidan, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, around 2,000 VVIPs, and approximately 40,000 supporters, the identity of the new chief minister remains uncertain.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, designated as central observers for the BJP legislature party meeting, arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday evening.
Earlier on Tuesday, Eknath Shinde visited a private hospital in Thane for a health check-up, setting tongues wagging in the Maharashtra political circles.
Shinde, whose Shiv Sena, is a constituent of the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition, has been unwell for the last few days. His decision to head to his village in Satara district last Friday had sparked speculation that he was upset over the way the new Maharashtra government was shaping up.
There have been reports that the distribution of portfolios among the three allies, including Ajit Pawar’s NCP, might not be a smooth process. Sena leaders on Monday said as per the “convention” of alliance politics, their party should get the home portfolio if the CM post went to the BJP.
The BJP has achieved remarkable success in the November 20 Maharashtra elections, securing 132 out of 288 seats, marking its best performance in the state so far.
