Amid ongoing deliberations within the Mahayuti alliance over the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena MPs from the Eknath Shinde faction met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament on Wednesday.
Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske left a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 midway to attend the discussions with Shah.
According to sources, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command is scheduled to meet Mahayuti leaders—Praful Patel, Ajit Pawar, Devendra Fadnavis, and Eknath Shinde—in Delhi on Thursday to address the impasse.
Fadnavis: Decision on CM to be Announced Soon
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who arrived in Delhi on Wednesday, hinted that a resolution would soon be reached.
“The answer to this will be given soon. Senior leaders of the three Mahayuti alliance parties are working together to make a decision,” Fadnavis stated.
He added that the Chief Ministerial decision would precede other ministerial appointments.
Shiv Sena Pushes for CM Post
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat reiterated that the party is firm on its demand for a Chief Minister from its ranks.
“We want the CM to be from Shiv Sena. We contested the election under the leadership of CM Eknath Shinde, and I believe the top leaders will endorse him. You can expect the new government in Maharashtra to be formed by December 2. The swearing-in ceremony will be held on a grand scale, likely at Wankhede Stadium,” Shirsat said.
Post-Election Dynamics
The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, securing 132 seats in the 280-member house. Its Mahayuti allies—the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar—won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
Despite the alliance’s decisive victory, the leadership question has remained unresolved, with each faction vying for prominence in the coalition government.
A final decision on the Chief Minister and the cabinet is expected before the anticipated December 2 swearing-in ceremony.