Maharashtra Chief Minister to be from BJP, announces Ajit Pawar amid suspense

As suspense brews over next Chief Minister, caretaker Deputy CM Ajit Pawar announced Mahayuti will form the government with CM from BJP and the remaining two parties will have DCMs.

On government formation in the state, caretaker DCM Ajit Pawar says, "During the meeting (Delhi meeting of Mahayuti leader) it was decided that Mahayuti will form the government with CM from BJP and the remaining two parties will have DCMs... This is not the first time there has been a delay... If you remember, in 1999, one month was taken for government formation."

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The Mahayuti, which comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) headed by Ajit Pawar, registered a resounding victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections. By winning 132 seats, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, while Shiv Sena and NCP won 57 and 41 seats respectively.

However, government formation has been delayed and suspense over the next CM continues.

State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday evening announced that the new Mahayuti government will be sworn in at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai on the evening of December 5 in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence.

While there was no announcement yet on who would be the chief minister, BJP sources told news agency PTI said Devendra Fadnavis, who has been chief minister twice and was deputy CM in the last Eknath Shinde-led government, was the frontrunner for the top post. Ajit Pawar was another deputy CM in the Shinde-led government.

A key Mahayuti meeting scheduled on Friday was put off and likely to take place on Sunday now as caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde headed to his native village in Satara district, delaying government formation further.

Caretaker CM Shinde has made it clear that he will fully support BJP leadership's decision to name the next CM, and that he won't be a hurdle in the process, while Ajit Pawar-led NCP has backed Fadnavis for the chief minister's post.