Who will be the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra? The long-standing suspense is now over. NCP leader Ajit Pawar has clarified the picture of government formation in Maharashtra. Ajit declared that the state's Chief Minister will come from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while Shiv Sena and NCP will secure the Deputy Chief Minister slots. He highlighted that during the meeting of the alliance leaders in Delhi, a decision was taken that the grand alliance will form the government led by a BJP CM, with deputy roles for the other two parties, NCP and Shiv Sena. It's not the first time that such a decision has been delayed; if you recall, it took a month to form the government back in 1999.
The grand alliance comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar, which marked an impressive victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Emerging as the largest party, BJP won 132 seats, while Shiv Sena secured 57 and NCP 41 seats.
When questioned about who would be the state's Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar confirmed that the state will see a CM from BJP and two Deputy CMs from the grand alliance's other parties. The swearing-in ceremony is slated for December 5. We have decided to proceed with a robust approach.
The swearing-in ceremony will take place on December 5.
Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced on Saturday evening that the new grand alliance government will be sworn in on the evening of December 5 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai. Although an official announcement about the Chief Minister is still pending, BJP sources indicate that Devendra Fadnavis is leading the race for the CM post. Bawankule mentioned in a post on X that the ceremony will occur at 5 PM at Azad Maidan.
Shinde's Health Concerns in Satara
Prior to the formation of the new government, interim Chief Minister Eknath Shinde set off for his native village Dare in Satara on Friday. There is an update about his health indicating that Shinde has fallen ill. Speaking about Shinde's condition, Shiv Sena leader Shambhuraj Desai mentioned that Shinde and other party leaders returned from Delhi on Friday morning after meeting top BJP leaders and since then, Shinde has been suffering from a cough and cold. Desai stressed that due to his workload, they advised him to rest.
Potential Distribution of Ministerial Positions
According to sources, in terms of ministerial allocation within the government, a formula of one ministerial post per six MLAs per partner party will be considered. Based on this formula, BJP could get around 21 to 22 ministerial posts, the Shiv Sena Shinde group 10 to 12 ministries, and Ajit Pawar's NCP faction 8 to 9 ministries. The total ministerial quota, including the Chief Minister's position, should not exceed 43 for Maharashtra.
'Shiv Sena should be given the Home Department'
As per PTI, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirslat, a close associate of Shinde, asserted that his party should get the Home Department. Speaking with PTI, he also claimed an attempt was made to sideline Shinde. Meanwhile, a BJP leader stated that on December 2, a meeting would be held to select the leader of the BJP legislative party, expressing that this time it seems likely that Fadnavis will be the CM.
