Shrikant Shinde speaks on speculations about him getting Maharashtra Deputy CM's post

Shiv Sena MP Srikant Shinde, the son of Maharashtra's caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on Monday dismissed speculations about his potential appointment as the state's Deputy Chief Minister, calling the reports "false and baseless."

Addressing the rumours, Shrikant took to social media platform X, clarifying that there was no truth to the claims circulating in recent days.

"The news that I will be the Deputy Chief Minister has been circulating with question marks for the past two days. There is no truth to this, and all such news are baseless," said the Kalyan MP. He further explained that these rumours gained momentum after his father took a brief rest in their native village in Satara district due to ill health, leading to increased speculation.




The Shiv Sena politician also revealed that despite an opportunity to join the Union Cabinet after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he had turned it down to focus on strengthening Shiv Sena's party organisation.

"Even after the Lok Sabha elections, I had a chance to become a minister in the central government. But thinking of working for the party organization, I refused the ministerial post even then. I have no desire for a position in power. I make it clear once again that I am not in the race for any ministerial position in the state. Netane will work only for my Lok Sabha constituency and Shiv Sena," his post further reads.

"We can understand the enthusiasm and competition of the media, but I request them not to turn their backs on reality while reporting the news. A modest hope that the discussions about me will at least stop now," he concluded.

The Mahayuti coalition has undergone considerable suspense over forming the new government in state since winning the Assembly elections. The oath-taking ceremony is due to take place on December 5 with Devendra Fadnavis most likely as the next Chief Minister after much debate on the matter. Currently, Fadvanis is the co-deputy CM in the government with NCP-AP chief Ajit Pawar, while Eknath Shinde is acting as the caretaker CM.