Maharashtra’s government formation process is anticipated to gain momentum following a key meeting in Delhi on Thursday night involving Union Minister Amit Shah, caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
Although it is believed that Fadnavis becoming chief minister for a third time is inevitable, the meeting takes on significance in light of allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership may be considering the names of some of its Maratha stalwarts.
The decision of the chief minister has been more influenced by caste dynamics because the Maratha community accounts for the vast majority of the 288 MLAs from all parties. Fadnavis is a Brahmin and first became the CM in 2014 and again for a brief while in 2019.
“If the writ of RSS prevails, the chances of Fadnavis becoming the CM are bright,” the sources claimed.
The caretaker chief minister made it plain on Wednesday that he has informed PM Modi and Shah that he respects the BJP’s choice for the position, despite loud calls from Shiv Sena leaders for Shinde to run for a second term at the top.
According to a close aide of Shinde, the caretaker chief minister is not likely to accept the deputy chief minister position in the next administration.
However, Shiv Sena spokesperson and MLA Sanjay Shirsat stated that Shinde will be included in the next government. “He is unlikely to be a deputy chief minister. It does not befit a person who has already served as chief minister,” Shirsat said.
He added that another individual will be nominated by Shinde’s Shiv Sena for the position of deputy chief minister.
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