NEW DELHI: With Maharashtra handing over a landslide victory to the ruling Mahayuti, the focus now shifts to “Kaun Banega ‘Maha’ Mukhya Mantri”? Interestingly, the people of Maharashtra, with their decisive mandate, seems to have solved what appeared to be one of the most contentious issues among the allies in the run up to the assembly elections.
The BJP’s superlative performance in the state makes Devendra Fadnavis the strongest contender for the top job.
Assembly Election Results
While the BJP had agreed to make Eknath Shinde the chief minister in 2022 when he split the Shiv Sena to engineer the fall of the MVA government, it may not be willing to play second fiddle any more.
Fadnavis’ mother Sarita Fadnavis, when asked about the chances of her son becoming the chief minister, said: “Of course, he will become the chief minister. There is absolutely no doubt on this. 100% he will become the chief minsiter. As a mother, it is a moment of happiness and a big day for me as my son has become a big leader of the state. He worked hard 24X7 for this victory.”
Fadnavis himself, however, later said it will be decided by the three parties. “As the home minister Amit Shah had said, the three parties will sit down to decide on the CM. There will be no dispute,” Fadnavis told reporters.
What also works in favour of Fadnavis is the backing of the RSS for his candidature. Just hours after voting for assembly polls had concluded, Fadnavis had met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat. Though he dismissed any political connotations to his visit, his approximately 15-minute meeting with RSS chief triggered curiosity among political analysts with many perceiving it as an attempt to get Sangh’s endorsement for the top post.
The saffron party, which has registered its best-ever performance in the state, is in a commanding position to dictate terms. With 125 seats in its kitty, the BJP needs the support of just 20 more MLAs to reach the majority mark. Which means that both Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP have lost any bargaining power that they may have hoped to have before the assembly elections.
However, incumbent chief minister Eknath Shinde, who remains a strong contender for the top job after leading his party Shiv Sena to an impressive performance, feels that the deabte for the top post is far from settled. Shinde says there was no pre-poll agreement to suggest that the party with maximum number of seats will get the chief minister’s post.
When asked about the claims of some BJP leaders citing the party’s numbers, Shinde said ” We have had no such agreement. Let the final results come in after which three senior leaders of the three parties will sit together and take a decision together, in the same way as we fought elections.”
“At this time, no definitive formula has been established. Senior leaders from the three parties, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP’s national president J P Nadda, will discuss and decide the matter,” he said.
The NCP, which is the third partner of the ruling Mahayuti, had also pitched for Ajit Pawar as the next chief minister in the run up to the elections. In fact, on the eve of counting day a poster had been put up in Pune pitching Ajit as the next chief minister of the state. The NCP leaders had hoped to play the kingmaker after the results were out. However, despite decimating his uncle Sharad Pawar and winning 39 seats, Ajit Pawar is in no position to dictate terms on Kaun Banega Maha Mukhya Mantri?