Sitharaman, Rupani to be BJP's central observers for Maha MLAs meet to elect leader

The BJP on Monday named Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani as central observers for its Maharashtra legislature party's meeting, where the MLAs will elect their leader who is likely to be the state's next chief minister.

The legislature party meeting is expected to be held on December 4 in Mumbai, sources said.

In a statement, the BJP named Sitharaman and Rupani as central observers for the meeting.


Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule has said that the oath-taking ceremony of the new Mahayuti government will take place on December 5 evening at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

Though the party has made no announcement, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister in the outgoing government, is being seen as the frontrunner for the key position.

The party's two main allies, the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, are each tipped to be given deputy CM positions in the new government.

Eknath Shinde, who is the caretaker chief minister, has already made it clear that he will not come in the way of BJP getting the chief minster's post.

In the recently concludes state polls, the Mahayuti won 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The BJP led with 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena got 57 and NCP 41 seats.