The Bharatiya Janata Party stated that there is no chance of imitating the Bihar model for the chief ministership in Maharashtra amid heated discussions inside the Mahayuti alliance over who will be appointed chief minister of the state: Devendra Fadnavis or Eknath Shinde.
Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, resigned on Tuesday in accordance with his constitutional duties, but the uncertainty surrounding his successor persisted.
BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla told news agency, “Firstly, the announcement to make Nitish Kumar CM was done before the election. In Maharashtra, there was no such commitment made to the Shiv Sena. Secondly, we formed an alliance with Janata Dal (United) in Bihar so that the BJP could make inroads into the state, which did not happen. Hence there is no question of replicating the same in Maharashtra.”
Prem Shukla told news agency that the model applicable to Bihar does not hold true for Maharashtra. “In Maharashtra, there is no reason for such a commitment as we have a stronger organisational base and leadership. Above all, the party never gave any commitment of continuing with Eknath Shinde as CM after the elections. On the contrary, the top leadership maintained throughout the elections that a decision on the CM would be based on the electoral outcome.”
Raosaheb Danve, the BJP’s election coordinator and a former government minister, denied allegations made by some Sena leaders that Shinde was promised the top position prior to the election. “The process of choosing the CM has started. Two parties have already appointed their legislative leaders, and the BJP will pick one soon,” he said.
According to some BJP leaders, the central leadership has not been pleased with the Shiv Sena leaders’ insistence that Shinde run for the position. This was conveyed to the party, following which a show of strength planned by Sena leaders at Varsha on Tuesday morning was cancelled. “The BJP has conveyed to Shinde that the CM’s post will be retained by the party,” said a senior Sena leader.
Governor CP Radhakrishnan met with Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and his two deputy chief ministers from the previous administration, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. The governor requested that the Shiv Sena leader serve in a caretaker role till a new chief minister is inaugurated in.
The situation became urgent because Tuesday, November 26, was the last day of the outgoing assembly’s mandate. With 230 out of 288 seats, the Mahayuti alliance had a strong showing in the most recent elections. With 132 seats won by the BJP alone, Fadnavis is the front-runner for the position of chief minister. Shinde’s Shiv Sena group comes in second with 57 seats, and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) comes in third with 41.
Sanjay Shirsat, the spokesperson for the Shiv Sena, said that after talks between Shinde, Fadnavis, and Pawar and leading BJP figures, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a decision on the chief minister’s stance would be clear by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.
“The three leaders will meet in the evening and take an appropriate decision, which will be communicated to the media later,” news agency quoted Shirsat as saying.
Shirsat stated earlier on Tuesday that there is a widespread belief among the populace that Shinde should remain chief minister since he led the contest in the assembly elections. However, he quickly clarified that he was unaware of the positions taken by prominent BJP leaders on the matter.
Although the BJP has not formally announced it, union minister Ramdas Athawale stated in New Delhi that the party has chosen to name Fadnavis as chief minister for a third term. A BJP leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, emphasised that the party would not rush to announce its candidate until the distribution of ministerial portfolios is finalised.
