With Eknath Shinde clarifying that he would accept any decision of the BJP leadership on the next Maharshtra Chief Minister, the decks appear to have been cleared for the elevation of Devendra Fadnavis to the top post. However, the BJP is also exploring other options.
BJP sources said the top leadership of the party informed Shinde that they cannot make him CM again, even though the Mahayuti got a landslide victory of 230 seats under his leadership, as the BJP has emerged as the single largest party with 132 seats out of 288 in the state assembly.
“Devendra Fadnavis' elevation may seem certain, but the top leadership wants to break the traditional and conventional political matrix of Vidarbha versus Western Maharashtra by exploring leadership options from North Maharashtra (where the Mahayuti won 44 out of 47 assembly seats),” said a source who requested anonymity.
He said that while it is true that Devendra Fadnavis is the frontrunner for the chief minister post, leaders from North Maharashtra are also dark horses in the race. “These leaders include former minister Girish Mahajan who is close to Devendra Fadnavis and can emerge as a compromise choice for the state and central leadership. Besides, former revenue minister Radha Krishna Vikhe Patil, who is close to Union minister Amit Shah, is a strong rural leader. Some women BJP leaders are also in contention for the top post race,” he added.
Another senior BJP leader noted that the NCP and Shiv Sena MLAs have elected Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde respectively as their leaders but the BJP has yet to call a meeting of its elected MLAs and choose their leader who is likely to stake the claim for the chief minister post.
“The BJP high command's choice and decision will be final. So far, no high-intensity push for the name of Devendra Fadnavis has been shown. Therefore the corridors of power in Maharashtra politics are full of speculation. We should not rule out the possibility of the BJP coming up with a surprise name for the chief minister like it did in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,” said a political observer who requested anonymity.
Outgoing CM Shinde had earlier clarified that he would not be a hurdle in government formation. “I spoke with PM Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah and informed them that whatever decision they take will be acceptable to me and my party. There will be no obstacle from my side. Any decision will be happily accepted. Even if I am not made Chief Minister again, I will not be unhappy but will continue to work for the welfare and development of Maharashtra,” he said.
Meanwhile, leaders of the BJP and its alliance partners are likely to fly to Delhi to meet the top leadership of the party to finalise the government formation.
