Fadnavis Set for Maha CM Role, Shinde to Step Down After a Year

Mumbai: BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is likely to become the next chief minister of Maharashtra. Though Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde is bargaining hard to continue as the CM for at least a year, he has not opposed Mr. Fadnavis’s candidature for the coveted post. NCP chief Ajit Pawar has also thrown his weight behind Mr. Fadnavis, a senior BJP leader said.

Mr. Fadnavis along with Mr. Shinde and Ajit Pawar will meet Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi to discuss government formation and distribution of the cabinet portfolios. The senior BJP leader informed that the final decision will be announced only after the meeting with Mr. Shah.

According to sources, BJP’s central leadership has also approved Mr. Fadnavis’s name. “Mr. Shinde wants to continue for at least a year before stepping aside for Mr. Fadnavis. His argument is that the Assembly election was fought under his leadership as the CM and it will send a wrong message if he does not continue after the results. But the BJP has given him two options. Either he joins the state government as deputy chief minister or he moves to the Centre and his son joins the state government,” the source said.

The initial talks have taken place between Mr. Fadnavis and Mr. Shinde in Mumbai, but the issue will now be resolved in Delhi as the two could not settle it at their level, the source added.

When asked if the three Mahayuti parties have finalised the formula of CM and two DCMs, Ajit Pawar said that no formula has been decided. “My party has authorised me to take decisions. I believe Shiv Sena has also given all powers to Mr. Shinde. Similarly, BJP must have decided what they want to do within their party. Now leaders of all three parties will sit together and decide about the government formation,” he said.

However, Shiv Sena leaders continue to press for Mr. Shinde as the CM. Senior party leader Shambhuraj Desai informed that all Shiv Sena MLAs want their leader to continue on the top post. “It was discussed in the meeting held on Sunday. Even after the meeting, the MLAs came to us insisting that Mr. Shinde should be the CM. We have conveyed the feelings of Shiv Sena legislators to Mr. Fadnavis,” Mr. Desai said.

Shiv Sena’s Lok Sabha MP Naresh Mhaske also expected that BJP would give the CM post to Mr Shinde to counter the opposition’s narrative that it uses its allies and then throw them away. “People like Sanjay Raut are saying BJP uses and throws allies. I hope BJP will give a befitting reply to such propaganda against it,” he said.

Mr. Shinde is expected to submit his resignation to the governor on Tuesday, but he may be asked to continue as a caretaker CM until the new chief minister and cabinet are sworn in.