NEW DELHI: A senior BJP leader reportedly confirmed on Sunday night that Devendra Fadnavis has been finalised as Maharashtra’s next chief minister. Speaking anonymously to news agency PTI, the leader also indicated that the BJP legislature party would convene on either December 2 or December 3.
“The name of Devendra Fadnavis has been finalised as the new chief minister of Maharashtra. The meeting to elect the new BJP legislature party meeting will be held on either December 2 or 3,” the leader said in a statement to PTI.
The new Mahayuti government‘s swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for December 5 evening at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to attend the event.
Fadnavis previously held the chief minister position twice, with his second tenure being brief. In the outgoing administration led by Eknath Shinde, he served as deputy chief minister.
Earlier, in the day caretaker CM Eknath Shinde that the Mahayuti alliance’s chief ministerial candidate would offcially be announced on Monday, while giving his unconditional support to whoever is named for the top Maharashtra post. “I have already given my unconditional support to the decision of the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and BJP President, and I will support whatever they decide for Maharashtra,” he said.
In Mumbai, BJP leader Raosaheb Danve also said earlier that the name of Maharashtra’s new chief minister has been finalised, but confirmation is awaited from the senior party leadership.
This comes after the deliberations at union home minister Amit Shah‘s residence late Thursday night, which saw outgoing CM Eknath Shinde signing up on the logic that BJP, with 132 MLAs of its own and having lined up another five, was the natural claimant for the CM’s office, sources familiar with the negotiations said.
The BJP is proceeding with caution as its coalition partners, particularly Shiv Sena, express heightened expectations following the substantial electoral success.
While Shinde emphasises Mahayuti solidarity, certain alliance leaders have expressed divergent views. BJP’s former Union minister Raosaheb Danve suggested that a combined electoral effort between the undivided Sena and BJP would have resulted in additional seat victories.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena legislator Gulabrao Patil suggested that his party, under Eknath Shinde’s leadership, could have secured 90-100 constituencies had Ajit Pawar’s NCP not been part of the coalition, prompting strong opposition from Ajit Pawar’s faction.
Although Shiv Sena and NCP have selected Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as their respective legislature party leaders, the BJP has yet to convene its legislature party meeting to formally nominate their chief ministerial candidate.
Additionally, a high-ranking Mahayuti official, as quoted by PTI, indicated that the coalition partners will collectively determine whether December 5 will witness only the swearing-in of the chief minister and deputy chief ministers, or if it will include ministers as well.