Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP chief Ajit Pawar are set to meet Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday, November 28, to discuss who will be the next chief minister of Maharashtra. Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde are considered top contenders for the chief minister’s position, though no official decision has been made yet.
On Wednesday, Eknath Shinde held a press briefing where he said the decision on who will become the CM rested with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that all the alliance leaders would accept his choice.
Devendra Fadnavis also said there was no dispute over the decision, stating that “we have always made decisions by sitting together, and we have said before elections that we will take the decision (regarding CM’s post) collectively after the elections.”
Several Shiv Sena leaders have supported Eknath Shinde, who resigned as Maharashtra CM on Tuesday, to continue as chief minister. As the party with the most number of seats, many have also supported BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis for the role.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s Congress chief Nana Patole has claimed that Eknath Shinde is being pressured to give up the chief minister’s position and that the delay in announcing the CM has been due to the Shiv Sena not being able to “comprehend” BJP leadership in the state.
The counting of votes in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections concluded on November 23 for 288 seats. The state recorded a voter turnout of 66.05 per cent.