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After staking claim to form the Maharashtra government along with his Mahayuti allies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, BJP leader and Chief Minister pick Devendra Fadnavis today said he had requested the Shiv Sena chief to be part of the government and believed he would agree.
Capping the 11-day suspense over who will get the Maharashtra top post, Mr Fadnavis was today elected the BJP's legislature party leader after a go-ahead from the central leadership. Soon after, he reached the Raj Bhavan with Mr Shinde and Mr Pawar, met Governor CP Radhakrishnan and staked claim to form the government.
"A special thanks to Shiv Sena chief and current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for supporting me and requesting me to take the oath. NCP's Ajit Pawar, too, formally requested me to take the oath. The Governor has invited me to form the government. I have requested Eknath Shinde to be part of the new government and I believe he would accept it," said Mr Fadnavis, seated next to Mr Shinde and Mr Pawar during a press meet after their Raj Bhavan visit.
After days of political posturing by Sena leaders stressing that Mr Shinde's contribution to the poll win must not be overlooked, Mr Fadnavis said the Chief Minister post was just a "technical understanding" between the allies. "We have taken decisions together and this will continue. We will work together for Maharashtra. A decision on other ministers will be taken in subsequent meetings."
Addressing the media, Mr Pawar said the Mahayuti will run a stable government for five years and no MLA will flee his/her party. "We will work together for Maharashtra's development."
Mr Shinde said Mr Fadnavis had recommended him for Chief Minister two-and-a-half years back. "This time, I recommended his name." The Sena chief evaded a question on whether he would take oath as Deputy Chief Minister tomorrow. "You will know tomorrow evening."
Ajit Pawar quipped, "I will take the oath. Shinde ji will inform by the evening." The exchange suggested that more drama could be in the offing.
The Sena chief became Chief Minister in 2022 after a rebellion he led split the Shiv Sena and toppled the Uddhav Thackeray-led government of undivided Sena, Congress and NCP. Back then, despite holding more numerical strength in the House, the BJP had backed Mr Shinde for the top post. Mr Fadnavis, albeit grudgingly, had agreed to accept the Deputy Chief Minister post.
The Mahayuti scored a massive victory in the state polls, winning 230 out of 288 seats in the Assembly. The BJP won 132 seats, the Sena 57 and NCP 41. Following the results, all three Mahayuti leaders stressed that there is no dispute over the Chief Minister post.
But behind the scenes, a different story was unfolding. Mr Shinde had dug in his heels to stay on as Chief Minister as Sena leaders publicly said the election was won under his leadership. The BJP, however, refused to part with the Chief Minister post this time. Mr Shinde did not have much leverage as the BJP needed just NCP's support to cross the majority mark in the Assembly.
Eventually, Mr Shinde issued a public statement and said he would not be an obstacle in government formation and would accept Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah's decision on the Chief Minister post.
Mr Fadnavis will be sworn in tomorrow evening at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a battery of top BJP leaders and Chief Ministers would attend the grand event.