Maharashtra CM name announcement: Outgoing Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday night met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, ahead of a meeting of the Mahayuti coalition to discuss the power-sharing pact in the state. Shinde, who arrived from Mumbai, drove straight to Shah's Krishna Menon Marg residence, where BJP president J P Nadda was already present. Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar also joined them. The key meeting lasted two hours at Shah's residence, with strong speculations made over Devendra Fadnavis's name as the CM's face. However, an official announcement for the same is awaited. Earlier, after reaching Delhi, Shinde said he would not be an obstacle in the government formation in the state and abide by the decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah. "I cleared my role in the press conference yesterday that there are no obstacles regarding Chief Minister of Mahayuti. This 'ladla bhai' has arrived in Delhi and the 'ladla bhai' is a designation higher than anything else for me. A meeting will be held on everything."
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance scripted a stunning victory in the recent state assembly elections by winning 230 seats in the 288-member House.
Caste dynamics have assumed a greater role in the choice of the CM as an overwhelming number of the 288 MLAs from all the parties are from the Maratha community. Fadnavis is a Brahmin and first became the CM in 2014 and again for a brief while in 2019. "If the writ of RSS prevails, the chances of Fadnavis becoming the CM are bright," the sources said.
A close aide of Shinde said on Thursday that the caretaker CM is unlikely to accept the post of deputy CM in the new dispensation. Sanjay Shirsat, an MLA and spokesperson of the Shiv Sena, however, said Shinde would be a part of the cabinet. "He is unlikely to be a deputy chief minister. It does not befit a person who has already served as chief minister," Shirsat said
The Shiv Sena led by Shinde will nominate another leader for the deputy CM's post, he added. Shinde’s MP son Shrikant Shinde expressed pride in his father for exemplifying "alliance dharma" by prioritising collective governance over personal ambition.
In a post on X, Shrikant highlighted his father's deep connection with the people of Maharashtra, emphasising his relentless dedication to serving all segments of society. “I am proud of my father and chief leader of the Shiv Sena. He kept faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and set an example of the alliance dharma, keeping his personal ambition aside," he said.
