Mumbai: Setting the ball rolling for the formation of a new government in Maharashtra, the BJP has appointed Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani as Central observers for the election of the party’s state legislature party leader.
The BJP legislature party’s meeting will be held on December 4 in the Central Hall of Vidhan Bhavan, where the newly elected MLAs will elect their leader who will become the Maharashtra chief minister. While the party made no formal announcement, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister in the outgoing Eknath Shinde-led government, is being seen as the frontrunner for the key position.
All BJP MLAs will be asked to remain present for the legislature party meeting in Mumbai at 10 am. Rupani is expected to reach Mumbai on Tuesday, while Sitaraman is expected to arrive on the day of the meeting.
According to sources, there will be two proposals in the meeting agenda -- Devendra Fadnavis’ name to be proposed as group leader and the election of the chief whip. Once Fadnavis is elected as group leader, his name will be proposed for the CM post, the BJP source said. The Shiv Sena and NCP are expected to get deputy CM positions.
NCP leader Sunil Tatkare also confirmed that the chief minister will be from the BJP and he will take the oath on December 5. He said it was agreed upon by all three parties in a meeting at Union home minister Amit Shah’s residence in Delhi last Thursday. “We have elected Ajit Pawar as leader of our legislative party. There is no conflict in the Mahayuti,” he said.
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule has already said that the oath-taking ceremony of the new Mahayuti government will take place on December 5 evening at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai. Bawankule also inspected the swearing-in ceremony arrangements at the Azad Maidan on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, top BJP leaders and the CMs of BJP-ruled states are among those who will be attending the swearing in-ceremony.
However, while an Ajit Pawar NCP leader accompanied Bawankule, the Shinde camp was conspicuous by its absence. However, BJP leaders said that Shinde was not upset over the reports of being denied the home minister’s post.
