Mahayuti leaders in huddle with Amit Shah for Maharashtra power-sharing pact

Mahayuti leaders with Amit Shah in Delhi, on Thursday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde, along with his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday night to discuss a power-sharing agreement in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance had secured a landslide victory in the state assembly elections.

Fadnavis, a former CM under whom the BJP crossed the 100-seat mark for the third consecutive time in the 288-member state assembly, is seen as the frontrunner for the top executive position in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar stated that a decision regarding ministerial positions for the Mahayuti alliance partners - BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP - would be made during Thursday night's meeting with Shah.

The alliance leaders also indicated that a new government could be in place in Maharashtra latest by December 2.

Shinde travelled to the national capital with senior party leaders Uday Samant and Shambhuraj Desai. Earlier, Fadnavis had met Pawar at the residence of NCP leader Sunil Tatkare.

Outgoing CM Shinde had a separate meeting with Shah ahead of the Mahayuti coalition's discussions. Arriving from Mumbai, Shinde drove straight to Shah's residence on Krishna Menon Marg, where BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda was already present, news agency PTI reported.

'Will abide by PM Modi, Amit Shah's decision'

Speaking to reporters, Shinde confirmed that he would not be an obstacle to the formation of the new government in the state and would abide by the decision made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah. This paved the way for BJP to nominate its candidate for the next CM of Maharashtra.

"This ‘ladka bhau (beloved brother)' has arrived in Delhi and the ‘ladka bhau' designation is higher than anything else for me," Shinde remarked.

Political speculation is rife regarding the central BJP leadership's consideration of social equations in Maharashtra before making a decision on the CM's position.

This opens up the race for the role among BJP leaders from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Maratha communities.

Shiv Sena leaders are advocating for Shinde to remain as CM, pointing to the success of the ‘Ladki Bahin' initiative and his approach to bringing governance directly to the people.

Caste dynamics have played a significant role in the debate over the chief ministerial post, with a large proportion of the 288 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Maratha community.

Shinde unlikely to accept Deputy CM's role

Fadnavis, a Brahmin, first became Maharashtra's CM in 2014 and briefly in 2019. "If the writ of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) prevails, the chances of Fadnavis becoming CM are bright," a source suggested, according to PTI.

A close aide of Shinde indicated that the caretaker CM is unlikely to accept the post of a deputy in the new government. However, Shiv Sena Spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat stated that Shinde would remain in the cabinet, though he would not take up the deputy CM position. "It does not befit someone who has already served as chief minister," Shirsat told PTI. He added that Shiv Sena would nominate another leader for the deputy CM's role.

Shinde's son, Shrikant, who is a Member of Parliament (MP), earlier expressed pride in his father for exemplifying "alliance dharma" by prioritising collective governance over personal ambition.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance achieved a remarkable victory in the recent assembly elections, winning 230 seats in the 288-member House. Recovering from its losses in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 132 seats, the most among the Mahayuti alliance partners. Shinde's Shiv Sena secured 57 seats, while Pawar's NCP won 41.

The Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a significant setback, with the party securing just 16 seats, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) winning 10 seats, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) securing only 20 seats.

The Maharashtra assembly elections were held on November 20, with results declared three days later.

On Tuesday, Shinde submitted his resignation as CM to Governor CP Radhakrishnan. The governor asked Shinde to continue as caretaker CM until the formation of a new government.

(With PTI inputs)