Maharashtra chief minister's name to be announced on December 4

THE SUSPENSE over who will be Maharashtra’s new chief minister will end on December 4, when the BJP legislature party elects its new leader, a senior party functionary said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, the BJP named finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani as its central observers for the legislature party meeting.

Devendra Fadnavis, two-time former chief minister, is widely seen as the frontrunner for the top post. The meeting will be held Wednesday morning in Vidhan Bhawan, a party functionary said.

In the November 20 state assembly polls, whose results were declared three days later, 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.

There were reports that caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde had conveyed his displeasure at not being given a second chance by retreating to his village Dare in Satara district, but he attributed the visit to a need for rest after a hectic election campaign.

Shinde left for his native village in Satara district on Friday amid speculation that he was not happy with the way the new government was shaping up.

The caretaker CM returned to his residence in Thane on Sunday afternoon.

Shinde’s sudden “illness” and decision to head to his native village after talks in Delhi with the BJP leadership had raised eyebrows.

"I called PM Modi and told him that I would not be an obstacle... we (the Mahayuti alliance that won the election) will go with what he decides,” Shinde told reporters, four days after the election results were out.

The BJP has already announced that the new chief minister will take oath at 5 pm on December 5 at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders. Preparations for the ceremony are underway.

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

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Eknath Shinde, dismissed media reports that he may get the deputy CM's post in the new state government.

In a post on X, the Lok Sabha member said he had the chance of becoming a minister at the Centre after this year’s Lok Sabha polls, but refused it as he wanted to focus on working for the party organisation.

"I have no desire for a position of power. I make it clear once again that I am not in the race for any ministerial position in the state," he said.

Amid speculation that Shiv Sena is keen on the Home portfolio, Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the Mahayuti allies will decide the modalities of government formation through consensus.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Monday flew to Delhi, while Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis remained in Mumbai, meeting workers and leaders of their parties. (PTI)