Shiv Sena supremo Eknath Shinde stepped down as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister on Tuesday, amidst uncertainty surrounding Mahayuti’s selection of the next candidate for the role.
He will remain the caretaker chief minister until a new government is established. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a sweeping victory in the elections, winning 235 of the 288 seats in the Assembly.
However, the coalition has yet to reach an agreement on the choice of the next Chief Minister. Shinde submitted his resignation to Governor CP Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, accompanied by his deputies, Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis.
The Shiv Sena has maintained that Shinde should remain in charge of the state, emphasising that he was the driving force behind the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which changed the course of the elections.
However, BJP leaders, who achieved the greatest number in the state’s history, have been urging Devendra Fadnavis to be sworn in as chief minister for a third time. Ajit Pawar of the NCP has supported the BJP’s stance.
In Maharashtra, the BJP achieved its highest number of seats with 132, while its partners, the Shiv Sena and the NCP, took 57 and 41 seats, respectively. Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske has asked the BJP leadership to put Shinde as chief minister in Maharashtra by following the Bihar model.
“Nitish Kumar was made the Chief Minister of Bihar even though his party didn’t have the majority,” Mhaske said.
Shinde urged his supporters not to crowd his official residence to call for his continued tenure as chief minister in a post on X on Tuesday evening. “Out of love for me, some people have appealed to everyone to gather together and come to Mumbai. I am deeply grateful for your love. But I appeal that no one should come together in my support in such a manner,” Shinde said.
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