BJP likely to name Fadnavis as Maharashtra CM tomorrow
What's the story
Ending the suspense over Maharashtra's next Chief Minister, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will announce its decision on Wednesday with senior party leader Devendra Fadnavis being the front-runner for the post. The official announcement will be made at a meeting at Vidhan Bhawan in Mumbai. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani have been named central observers for this state legislature party meeting.
Support expressed
Caretaker CM Shinde supports BJP's decision
Caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has also spoken in favor of the BJP's decision on the CM post. "I will respect the top BJP leadership's decision regarding the chief minister's post," he said. Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar emphasized Shinde's leadership role in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections and said it is up to the BJP's central leadership to acknowledge his contributions as caretaker CM.
Ministerial speculation
Shinde's son dismisses rumors of deputy CM position
Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde's son Shrikant Shinde has dismissed rumors of him being made Deputy Chief Minister. "I have no desire for a position in power," he said, adding that he is focused on serving his Lok Sabha constituency and Shiv Sena. The Mahayuti alliance—BJP, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)—won 230 of 288 seats in the recent state elections with BJP winning 132.
Government formation
NCP leader visits Delhi amid government formation talks
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar flew to Delhi as the talks of government formation continued. Meanwhile, both Shinde and Fadnavis stayed back in Mumbai to meet party workers and leaders. BJP leader Girish Mahajan met Shinde to discuss preparations for the swearing-in ceremony, assuring that there were no conflicts within the Mahayuti alliance leadership and emphasizing their commitment to working together for Maharashtra's welfare.