New Delhi: A day after Eknath Shinde said he would accept the BJP leadership’s decision on who should be the next Maharashtra chief minister, Mahayuti allies got busy working out the details of the government, which is expected to be formed on December 2. There is a possibility. Home Minister Amit Shah met the three leaders of the alliance – Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar on Thursday evening.
BJP’s Fadnavis looked set to return as the ministry chief and the focus of the talks at Shah’s residence was on working out ways to fit Shinde into his team as one of the two deputy CMs so that the top post remains intact. So that the pain of loss can be reduced. Ajit Pawar is confirmed as the second deputy CM with the finance department.
The BJP is ready to rehabilitate Devendra Fadnavis, which would be something that would “right the wrong” that was done to him when he was forced to play second fiddle to the party. But she is equally keen to join Eknath Shinde’s team as Deputy Chief Minister to give the message of unity.
Although Shinde had said he would follow the preferences of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the BJP wants him to be made to feel valued. “Besides, having him in our fold will also help the party reduce its dependence on Ajit Dada,” a source argued.
While many argued that after serving as CM, becoming Deputy CM may not be acceptable to Shinde, sources said this is not an issue in Maharashtra politics, and he has joined Fadnavis as well as some veterans. Including the example of many others. He also rejected suggestions that having two Marathas as deputies would not go down well with voters, pointing out that the outgoing leadership team also had two Marathas – Shinde and Ajit Pawar.
“I made my role clear in the press conference yesterday that there is no obstacle regarding Mahayuti being the CM. This ‘Ladla Bhai’ has come to Delhi and ‘Ladla Bhai’ is a higher post than any other post for me. A meeting Will be held.” On everything,” Shinde said, reiterating his stance amid some of his party colleagues still vying for the top post for his boss.
Given that the party has secured 132 seats in the 288-member House, the BJP’s need to appoint a chief minister has been recognised, and it has also received the support of five more MLAs, taking it just short of the majority mark on its own. Eight are left.
As TOI reported on November 23, the day the election results were declared, Ajit Pawar has extended his support to Fadnavis, reducing the room for maneuver for Shinde’s party. In any case, sources said the allies had jointly decided on seat allocation before the elections and there was a clear consensus on the issue.