- By Priyanka Koul, Om Prakash Tiwari
- Tue, 03 Dec 2024 08:37 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
After several rounds of talks, Eknath Shinde, the outgoing Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Shiv Sena leader, has agreed to take the role of Deputy Chief Minister in the new Mahayuti government. Devendra Fadnavis, a key BJP leader, is set to become the new Chief Minister. Fadnavis is expected to be elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party today.
Shinde and Fadnavis met today at the Chief Minister's official residence to finalize the new government. NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who is also expected to be the Deputy Chief Minister, was unable to attend the meeting because he was in Delhi.
Fadnavis is likely to take the oath as Chief Minister on Thursday. He has served as Chief Minister twice before, with his first term lasting five years and his second term lasting just 80 hours. Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar will also take the oath as Deputy Chief Ministers. The political activity in Maharashtra picked up today, 11 days after the election results were announced.
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Earlier in the day, Shinde visited Jupiter Hospital in Thane for a routine check-up after recovering from a fever. He then went to his official residence, 'Varsha,' in Mumbai, where he met with Girish Mahajan, a close ally of Devendra Fadnavis, for about 30 minutes. After their discussion, Mahajan visited Fadnavis’s residence, and Fadnavis himself later met with Shinde for another round of talks.
Though no official statement has been made, it is believed that Shinde has agreed to become Deputy Chief Minister. Shinde had previously insisted on keeping the Home Department but is now thought to have agreed to give it up. Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar said Shinde has proven who the "real Shiv Sena" is and that the BJP should respect his role.
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On Monday night, Girish Mahajan met with Shinde and convinced him to join the new government. BJP leaders, including state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Mumbai president Ashish Shelar, also briefed Shinde about preparations for the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, December 5. Today, leaders from the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP inspected the venue for the ceremony at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, which will be attended by the Prime Minister.
Ahead of the ceremony, BJP’s central observers, former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, will attend a meeting of the BJP legislative party tomorrow. Rupani confirmed that the BJP emerged as the largest party and that the Chief Minister should be from BJP. Shinde also said he had no objections to the BJP Chief Minister.
Once the BJP legislative party leader is chosen, top leaders from the Mahayuti alliance will meet to finalize the government formation. They will then visit the Governor to formally claim the right to form the government.
The new Maharashtra cabinet is likely to have 43 ministers, which is 15% of the 288-member assembly. The Mahayuti alliance holds 235 seats, with BJP securing 132, along with support from smaller parties and independents. Shiv Sena has 57 seats, and NCP has 41. The BJP will likely have a large share of both Cabinet and state ministers, possibly around 20-21. The remaining ministerial posts will be shared between Shiv Sena and NCP.
However, NCP is insisting that ministerial positions should be decided based on each party’s "strike rate" rather than just the number of seats. NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said that according to strike rate, BJP is first, NCP is second, and Shiv Sena is third, so NCP is demanding equal representation.
Inputs by Dainik Jagran Mumbai reporter - Om Prakash Tiwari