New Delhi: Devendra Fadnavis is almost certain to become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the third time, a senior BJP leader said Sunday, claiming that the 54-year-old’s name has been “finalised” by the party leadership. Fadnavis will be named the legislature party leader in a meeting scheduled for December 2 or 3, the BJP leader added.
"The name of Devendra Fadnavis has been finalised as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The meeting to elect the new BJP legislature party leader will be held on either December 2 or 3," said a senior BJP leader, according to news agency PTI.
Earlier in the day, caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reasserted that he would fully support the decision taken by PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah with regard to the chief minister's name.
Some unconfirmed reports suggest that Shinde's son Shrikant Shinde might be given the deputy chief minister's post. It was also said that a final decision on cabinet berths will be taken after a consensus is reached by all Mahayuti partners- BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar).
On Sunday, BJP leader Raosaheb Danve had claimed that the name of Maharashtra's new chief minister has been finalised, but confirmation is awaited from the senior party leadership. Devendra Fadnavis, who enjoys support of the RSS, is widely regarded as the frontrunner.
"The people of Maharashtra know who will be the next Chief Minister," Danve said, without revealing the name.
Despite Shinde "unconditional support", indications of a disagreement emerged when a meeting of the Mahayuti allies was postponed on Friday. Discussions between Mahayuti leaders are now likely to take place on Monday.
The BJP is yet to hold its legislature party meeting even though Shiv Sena and NCP have elected Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as their legislature party leaders, respectively.
With the Mahayuti yet to finalise its CM pick over a week after Maharashtra election results, differences have came out in the open among the constituents.
"Had Shiv Sena not split into two, and contested assembly elections with the BJP, our victory would have been bigger than what we achieved today. We had also won comfortably in the 2019 assembly elections," Raosaheb Danve said.
Separately, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Gaikwad, who won the Buldana constituency by a wafer-thin margin against Shiv Sena (UBT) nominee Jayashree Shelke, levelled serious allegations.
"Local MP and Union minister Prataprao Jadhav of Shiv Sena called Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and confidante of Uddhav Thackeray to field Jayashree Shelke. BJP's Sanjay Kute passed on the same message to Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab to field Shelke against me," he claimed.
The Mahayuti won 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The BJP led with 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena got 57 and NCP 41.
"We contested only 85 seats. Without Ajitdada, we could have won 90-100 seats. Shinde never asked why Ajit Pawar-led NCP was inducted in his government," Gulabrao Patil, a minister in the outgoing government, told a regional news channel.
NCP spokesperson Amol Mitkari hit back, asking Patil to not shoot off his "loose tongue".