The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani as central observers for the Maharashtra legislature party meeting, scheduled for December 4.
As the suspense over the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra continues, outgoing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s son, Shrikant Shinde, has denied being in contention for the Deputy Chief Minister post. He further stated that he would not accept a Union Ministerial role either.
According to senior BJP leadership, as reported by various media outlets, Devendra Fadnavis has been finalised as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. A senior party leader revealed that Fadnavis will be elected as the legislature party leader in a meeting slated for December 2 or 3.
Outgoing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reaffirmed his support for the BJP’s choice of the new Chief Minister.
Amid speculation that Shrikant Shinde might be considered for the Deputy Chief Minister role and reports that the Shiv Sena is seeking the Home portfolio, Eknath Shinde stated that the Mahayuti allies—the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)—would decide the government formation through consensus.
“The Mahayuti allies will arrive at a decision after sitting together,” Shinde said.
The oath-taking ceremony for the new Mahayuti government is scheduled to take place on the evening of 5 December at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to be in attendance.
The Mahayuti alliance achieved a resounding victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the results of which were declared on November 23. The BJP emerged as the largest party, securing 132 seats in the 280-member Assembly. Its allies, the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, and the NCP, headed by Ajit Pawar, won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
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