MUMBAI: The swearing-in ceremony for Maharashtra's new Chief Minister will be held on December 5 at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to attend.
Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule confirmed that the ceremony will take place at 5:00 pm, but did not specify who the next Chief Minister will be. Devendra Fadnavis is widely seen as the frontrunner for the role, although the final decision is yet to be confirmed.
NCP leader Ajit Pawar is expected to take the oath as deputy chief minister in the upcoming Mahayuti government. However, there remains uncertainty over whether caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde will take on the deputy chief minister role himself or if someone from his party will be chosen instead.
Senior BJP leader Raosaheb Danave emphasised that the final decision on the Chief Minister’s appointment will be made by the BJP leadership.
“Unless and until the party high command announces the name of the Chief Minister from the BJP, the party will wait and watch,” he added.
Sources have indicated that the BJP will convene a meeting with its elected MLAs on December 2 or 3 to select their legislative party leader. This leader will be sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. While Devendra Fadnavis is the likely choice for this role, there were earlier speculations about BJP MP Muralidhar Mohal from Pune being a dark horse in the race
“Mr Mohal, who is Maratha by caste, is close to the top leadership of BJP. BJP may give him the state responsibility and project him as state leader for the next 10 to 15 years while Devendra Fadnavis may be elevated as BJP national party president. Therefore, it is not only difficult but it is tough to say who will be the next chief minister of Maharashtra looking at the shock treatment politics by the top leadership of the BJP. But RSS is fully with Mr Fadnavis,” said a senior BJP leader requesting anonymity.
After speculation surfaced about Muralidhar Mohal being a contender for the Chief Minister's position in Maharashtra, the BJP MP from Pune swiftly denied the rumours. Posting on social media, Mohal clarified that he is not in the race for the CM role. He emphasised that the decision regarding the next Chief Minister will be made by the BJP's parliamentary board. He further stated that whatever decision the board arrives at will be final for him and his supporters. This statement came after reports suggested his name had emerged as a dark horse in the ongoing discussions
The deadlock between BJP and Shiv Sena continues as Eknath Shinde has reportedly requested that if the Chief Minister post is not granted to him, his party should be allocated the Deputy Chief Minister position along with the Home and Finance portfolios, and the Speaker's post in the Assembly. While the BJP has yet to respond officially to this demand, Shinde's MLA Sanjay Shirsat mentioned that despite Shinde being unwell with a high fever, he could still make crucial decisions, as he has often done while in his village in Satara district.