New Delhi: Maharashtra’s acting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Thursday that grand alliance Will call another meeting in Mumbai to decide on the next Chief Minister.
Shinde’s comments came after a crucial meeting in Delhi between Shinde, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, NCP’s Ajit Pawar and other grand alliance leaders along with Union minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda.
Shinde said, “The meeting was good and positive. This was the first meeting. We had discussions with Amit Shah and JP Nadda.”
He further said, “There will be another meeting of the Mahayuti. In this meeting, a decision will be taken on who will be the Chief Minister. The meeting will be held in Mumbai.”
Earlier, Shinde had confirmed that there was no problem regarding the chief minister’s post and he would accept whatever decision Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes.
Shinde said, “I made my role clear in the press conference yesterday that there is no hindrance regarding the Chief Minister of Mahayuti. This ‘Ladla Bhai’ has come to Delhi and ‘Ladla Bhai’ is a higher post for me than any other title. ” ,
He said, “I have told the Prime Minister that if my presence creates any hindrance in forming the government in Maharashtra, then there should be no hesitation in taking decisions. Whatever decision you take, it will be acceptable to me.”
Fadnavis also confirmed the unity of the alliance and said the decision on the chief minister’s post would be taken after consultation with leaders.
Fadnavis told the media, “There has never been any difference of opinion in our Mahayuti alliance. We have always taken decisions collectively. Before the elections, we had announced that after the results, the decision regarding the post of Chief Minister will be taken collectively. “
He said, “Some people had doubts, but Eknath Shinde ji has made them clear today. We will soon meet our leaders and finalize the decision.”
Shiv Sena, which won 57 assembly seats, is pushing for Shinde to be made the chief minister, citing his leadership in helping the alliance achieve substantial victories. They cite exit polls that indicate Shinde’s popularity for the post.
The BJP, which secured its highest-ever tally of 132 seats in the 288-member assembly, says Devendra Fadnavis should become the next chief minister.
In 2022, when the BJP formed an alliance with the Shinde Sena after the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Shinde became the chief minister and Fadnavis became the deputy chief minister. Despite the recent election results, Shiv Sena supports maintaining this system. Some Sena leaders cite the model of Bihar, where Nitish Kumar leads the NDA government despite JDU having fewer seats than BJP.
