Mumbai: Victory is indeed bittersweet, especially for Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde. On the one hand, is his triumphant 57-seat kitty for the Mahayuti alliance, on the other is the cloudy scenario vis-à-vis chief ministership. While RSS and NCP chief Ajit Pawar both want Devendra Fadnavis as the next chief minister, Shinde has claimed the chair for crafting the victory with Ladki Bahin Yojana.
The FPJ has reliably learned from top sources within both the BJP and Shiv Sena that Shinde is determined to retain the post. He has made it clear that he intends to hold the position until the crucial BMC elections, as well as the municipal and district council elections scheduled for the first half of 2025. Meanwhile, the BJP sees these elections – contests for 14 municipal corporations and over 25 district councils – as pivotal to leveraging the ongoing pro-BJP wave and the benefits of welfare schemes introduced in the 2023 budget.
About The Pre-Assembly Election Seat-Sharing Talks
During the seat-sharing talks before the assembly elections, the BJP had asked Shinde to accept fewer seats, arguing that he had been given the chief ministership despite not having half as many seats in the assembly as the BJP.
Shinde, who split from Uddhav Thackeray’s faction and formed his own group with around 40 MLAs, had to settle for a lesser seat share, while the BJP had 105 MLAs. With the BJP now holding 132 seats, they are firm on claiming the CM chair.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s Performance Exceeds Expectations
Surprisingly, Ajit Pawar’s performance has this time exceeded expectations. During the Sunday talks with Fadnavis and Shinde, he did not make any specific demands though. It is expected that he will continue as Deputy CM and will likely be assigned the finance portfolio, which he held in the previous government. The negotiations among the Mahayuti alliance partners are expected to conclude on Tuesday, with a final decision on the CM position likely to be made by the end of the day.
A senior BJP leader told the FPJ that the new government is expected to take the oath of office on Wednesday, with the first session of the new assembly scheduled for Thursday. This session is expected to last two days, followed by the regular winter session in Nagpur in the second week of December.
