- By Mayukh Debnath
- Tue, 26 Nov 2024 11:03 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Maharashtra CM Suspense: As suspense surrounding the selection of the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra grew on Tuesday, Shiv Sena supremo Eknath Shinde stepped down from the helm of the state government and transitioned to the role of caretaker CM as part of a constitutional obligation.
Shinde, flanked by Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, handed his resignation to Governor CP Radhakrishnan. Following this, the Governor requested him to continue in a caretaker role until the new CM is sworn in. The outgoing assembly's term concluded on Tuesday, adding urgency to the transition process.
In the absence of any official announcement from the Mahayuti alliance regarding the next CM of Maharashtra, the speculations on who will lead the state government continued to favour Fadnavis, who is currently the frontrunner for the top job as the BJP under him emerged as the single-largest party in the Assembly polls.
The Mahayuti, comprised of the BJP, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP, retained power in Maharashtra by securing a resounding mandate that saw the alliance winning 230 of the 288 Assembly seats in the state. The BJP alone bagged 132 seats followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and NCP with 41 seats.
On Tuesday, RPI(A) leader and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale threw his weight behind Fadnavis, describing him as the natural claimant to the CM post in view of the BJP's seat share in the newly elected Maharashtra Assembly. The key BJP ally also suggested that Shinde should either become the deputy CM or shift to the Centre and join the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Dropping a strong hint that the BJP leadership has already made up its mind on the matter, Athawale said, "When Eknath Shinde came to know that the BJP high command has finalised Devendra Fadnavis as the CM (of Maharashtra), he is a bit unhappy, which I can understand. But, BJP has got 132 seats and hence I think there have to make a way ...Devendra Fadnavis should be made the CM. Shinde can be made Union Minister."
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar, who served as a minister in the Shinde cabinet, said, "Every political worker desires that the CM should from his or her party, but whatever decision Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah take will be acceptable to all of us."
"Shinde has told the senior leaders (an apparent reference to Modi and Shah) that whatever decision they take is acceptable to him," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Kesarkar's party colleague and Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said there would be clarity on the issue by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
"The three leaders (Shinde, Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar) will meet in the evening and take an appropriate decision. This (the decision) will be communicated (to the media) by these leaders either by tonight or Wednesday morning," he told reporters.
(With inputs from agencies)