All Eyes On Maharashtra As CM Name To Be Announced By December 4: Reports

Mumbai: The oath taking ceremony of the next Maharashtra chief minister is set to take place on December 5, Thursday but the suspense over the CM face still continues. The BJP is pushing for Devendra Fadnavis while reports are also doing the rounds that Shiv Sena is also pushing Eknath Shinde 's name. However, the caretaker chief minister, Shinde, has publicly extended his full support to the BJP and the Mahayuti alliance. As the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP hold key meetings each day before the swearing in, reports said that the name of the new chief minister will be announced on December 4, Wednesday, when the saffron party elects its new legislative leader, a senior party functionary said on Monday.

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Fadnavis emerges front runner for CM post

Devendra Fadnavis, two-time former chief minister, is widely seen as the frontrunner for the top post. The meeting will be held Wednesday morning in Vidhan Bhawan, a party functionary said.

Mahayuti scripts history victory in Maharashtra  

In the November 20 state assembly polls, whose results were declared three days later, the Mahayuti won 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The BJP led with 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena got 57 and NCP 41 seats.

Did Eknath Shinde signal willingness for CM post?

There were reports that caretaker CM Eknath Shinde had conveyed his displeasure at not being given a second chance as CM by retreating to his village Dare in Satara district, but he attributed the visit to a need for rest after a hectic election campaign.

Shinde left for his native village in Satara district on Friday amid speculation that he was not happy with the way the new government was shaping up. The caretaker CM returned to his residence in Thane on Sunday afternoon.

Shinde’s sudden “illness” and decision to head to his native village after talks in Delhi with the BJP leadership had raised eyebrows.

Shinde's support to PM Modi, BJP

"I called PM Modi and told him that I would not be an obstacle... we (the Mahayuti alliance that won the election) will go with what he decides,” Shinde told reporters, four days after the election results were out.

Maharashtra CM oath ceremony on December 5

The BJP has already announced that the new chief minister will take oath at 5 pm on December 5 at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders. Preparations for the ceremony are underway.

The BJP's two main allies in the Mahayuti coalition, the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, are each tipped to be given deputy CM positions in the new government.

Shinde's son name emerges for Deputy post 

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Eknath Shinde, dismissed media reports that he may get the deputy CM's post in the new state government.

In a post on X, the Lok Sabha member said he had the chance of becoming a minister at the Centre after this year’s Lok Sabha polls, but refused it as he wanted to focus on working for the party organisation.

"I have no desire for a position of power. I make it clear once again that I am not in the race for any ministerial position in the state," he said.

Amid speculation that Shiv Sena is keen on the Home portfolio, Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the Mahayuti allies will decide the modalities of government formation through consensus.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Monday flew to Delhi, while Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis remained in Mumbai, meeting workers and leaders of their parties.

With inputs from PTI