Maharashtra caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is set to address a press conference at 3 pm today as speculation continues over the Chief Ministerial candidate from the newly elected Mahayuti alliance.
The BJP emerged as the largest party in the Maharashtra assembly, securing 132 seats in the 280-member legislature. Its allies, the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar, won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
Maharashtra’s assembly elections were held on November 20, with results announced on November 23. Following the election, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde resigned as Chief Minister on Tuesday and assumed the role of caretaker CM until a new government is formed. Despite the alliance’s victory, the Mahayuti group has yet to announce its choice for the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Maharashtra can have a total of 43 ministers, including the Chief Minister, and the BJP, which secured 132 seats out of the Mahayuti's total of 230, is expected to claim half of the ministerial berths, with the remaining positions allocated to its allies.
The BJP has reportedly offered Shinde, either a position as a cabinet minister in the Union government or the role of deputy chief minister under the probable leadership of Devendra Fadnavis.
Highly placed sources said that "Eknath Shinde, however, refused to accept either the offer of a cabinet ministry at the Centre or the deputy chief minister position offered by the BJP.
Shinde reportedly asked the BJP top leadership that if he is not made Chief Minister, he should be made the convener of the Mahayuti government, as the election was fought under his leadership. He also proposed that his son, Dr. Shrikant Shinde, who is the Lok Sabha member from Kalyan, should be made the deputy chief minister in Fadnavis's government.
BJP has yet to respond positively to this development," sources added, explaining that this delay has postponed the swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister in Maharashtra.
When the Uddhav Thackeray-led government collapsed in 2022 following a mutiny led by Eknath Shinde, the BJP supported Shinde’s bid for Chief Minister despite holding more seats in the Assembly. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, despite his party's superior numbers, reluctantly accepted the Deputy Chief Minister role at the time. However, after the party’s strong performance in the recent elections, the BJP is now poised to push for the top role, with party leaders and workers strongly backing Fadnavis for the position.