Shinde pledges full support to ally BJP

Mumbai: Maharashtra's caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the BJP will decide on the new CM and assured his full support while ruling out differences among Mahayuti allies over the government formation.

Amid speculations that Shinde's son Shrikant Shinde might get the Deputy CM's post and Shiv Sena is keen on the Home portfolio, Shinde said the Mahayuti allies- BJP, NCP, and Shiv Sena- will decide the government formation through consensus.

Notably, more than a week after the Mahayuti clinched a massive victory in Maharashtra polls with the BJP emerging as the single largest party with 132 seats, the new government is yet to be sworn in. The BJP is moving cautiously as aspirations of its allies, especially Shiv Sena, are high after the massive poll victory.

Interestingly, the BJP legislature party meeting to elect the leader, who will be the party's chief ministerial pick, is yet to be held, even though Shiv Sena and NCP allies have elected their respective leaders. The BJP has announced that the oath-taking ceremony of the new Mahayuti government will take place on December 5 at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend it.

According to BJP sources, Devendra Fadnavis, who has been Chief Minister twice and was deputy CM in the last Eknath Shinde-led government, is the front-runner for the CM's post.

A senior BJP leader said the legislature party meeting may be held on December 3 or 4. The Mahayuti constituents will jointly decide whether only the Chief Minister and deputy CMs will take oath on December 5 or ministers will also be sworn in, a senior leader of the alliance said.

Shinde had 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. He developed a high fever in his village. Talking to reporters in his village on Sunday before leaving for Mumbai, Shinde said, “I have already said the decision on CM’s post taken by the BJP leadership will be acceptable to me and Shiv Sena and will have my full backing”.

On speculations that his son and Lok Sabha member Shrikant Shinde will be made a Deputy CM in the new government and whether Shiv Sena has staked the claim for the home portfolio, Shinde replied, “Talks were on”. “A meeting took place in Delhi last week with (Union home minister) Amit Shah, and now we three alliance partners will discuss the nitty-gritty of government formation,” he said.

Responding to a query on his health, the Shiv Sena leader said he was fine now and had come to his native village to get some rest. “I always come to my village. Why should there be any confusion when I made my stand clear last week,” he added. “We will provide a government that people want. Our responsibility has now grown because of the massive mandate people gave as reciprocation of our work in the last two-and-a-half years,” he said.

Shinde reiterated that there are no differences among Mahayuti allies and pointed out that the BJP is yet to announce its legislature party leader. “We will fulfil people’s aspirations. There are no differences among us. We will take a decision in the interest of the people. There is no need to repeat my stand. More than what we want, people’s aspirations are more important,” Shinde added. “There are no ifs and buts. My health is fine now. The work of our government will be written in golden words in the history,’ he said.

Shinde landed in Thane on the late Sunday afternoon. At the helipad, Shinde, Shrikant Shinde, and outgoing minister Deepak Kesarkar were seen talking among themselves.

A BJP leader, meanwhile, claimed the party’s MLAs have not been informed yet regarding the timing of the legislature party meeting. A day earlier, BJP leaders confirmed that the meeting to appoint the new leader will be held on December 2. “But now it looks like the meeting may be postponed to December 3 or 4,” said the leader who did not wish to be named.