The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as the party’s Central Observers for Maharashtra amid delays in deciding the next Chief Minister.
Despite the Mahayuti alliance’s significant victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, over a week has passed without the announcement of a Chief Ministerial candidate.
Caretaker Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde remarked on Sunday that the decision lay with the BJP, reiterating his support for the chosen candidate.
“The decision rests with the BJP, and I assure my full support to the chosen candidate,” Shinde stated.
Shrikant Shinde Refutes Deputy CM Speculations
Amid growing speculation, Shiv Sena MP from Kalyan, Shrikant Shinde, dismissed rumors about him being considered for the Deputy Chief Minister position.
“After election results, the formation of the government is delayed a little, and that is why so many rumors are floating around, and one is that I am going to be the deputy chief minister in the new government. I want to tell everyone that this is completely baseless and false; there is no fact in this,” Shinde posted on X (formerly Twitter).
He further clarified his stance on ministerial positions:
“I had already a chance to become a minister in the Union Cabinet after Lok Sabha elections, but I chose to work for my party organization, and it is still like that. I have no desire for a position in power,” he added.
Election Results Recap
The results of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections were declared on November 23. The Mahayuti alliance secured a decisive win with 230 of the 288 seats.
- BJP: 132 seats
- Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction): 57 seats
- NCP (Ajit Pawar faction): 41 seats
In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered significant losses:
- Shiv Sena (UBT, led by Uddhav Thackeray): 20 seats
- Congress: 16 seats
- NCP (Sharad Pawar faction): 10 seats
Despite the strong performance, the alliance has yet to finalize its Chief Ministerial candidate, prolonging the political suspense in Maharashtra.