Suspense over Maharashtra CM continues, Eknath Shinde says announcement likely 'in a day or two'

The buzz around Maharashtra's next Chief Minister might have been finally nearing an end, as the Mahayuti leaders huddled up once again last night, and a decision is anticipated in a couple of days. A tug of war is on between BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and Shinde to claim the throne of Maharashtra.

Caretaker CM Eknath Shinde on Friday announced that discussions with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda regarding the formation of the next state government were "good and positive."

Speaking to reporters before departing for Mumbai, Shinde said the final decision on the Chief Minister’s post would be made within a day or two at another meeting of the Mahayuti coalition in the state capital.


Shinde, accompanied by Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, met Shah and Nadda late Thursday to finalize a power-sharing agreement following the BJP-led coalition’s decisive victory in the recent Assembly elections.

“We will take a decision (on Maharashtra CM) in a day or two. We have held discussions, and the discussions will continue. You will get to know when we take a final decision,” Shinde said.

The outgoing Chief Minister affirmed that he would not stand in the way of government formation and pledged to follow the decision made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah.

“This ‘ladka bhau’ (beloved brother) designation is higher than anything else for me,” Shinde remarked.

He further reiterated that the coalition partners were united in their approach.

“We all discussed the formation of government. There is good coordination between the allies, we are all very positive, and we will honour the clear-cut mandate given to us by the people. We will form the government soon,” he said.

Recovering from its Lok Sabha losses, the BJP emerged as the largest party in the Assembly elections, winning 132 seats. Shinde’s Shiv Sena secured 57 seats, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP won 41.

On the opposition front, the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi suffered a major blow. The Congress won just 16 seats, marking one of its poorest performances, while Sharad Pawar's NCP(SP) managed 10 seats, and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) won 20.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections were held on November 20, with results announced on November 23.