Shinde 'will back' Modi's CM pick; has he given up hope?

NT Correspondent

Mumbai

Caretaker Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced the Shiv Sena would support the decisions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to name the next Maharashtra CM, paving the way for the BJP to head the new government. With Shinde declaring the Shiv Sena would not be a “hurdle” in the formation of new government, twotime BJP chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, one of the architects of the ruling Mahayuti's grand win in the just-held state assembly polls, is emerging as a frontrunner for the top post.

The caretaker CM's declaration at a press conference in his political turf Thane marks a significant step toward a smooth transition of power after the BJP-led ruling alliance achieved a stunning victory in the November 20 polls. As discussions about the new government intensify, political observers are closely watching the developments that may soon lead to Fadnavis being appointed as the new chief minister with two deputy CMs. Shinde (60), alongside his outgoing deputies Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), is expected to meet with Shah in New Delhi on Thursday to further discuss modalities of the government formation.

There is also likely to be a full fledged discussion on the number of berths each of the ruling coalition partners, the BJP, Shinde Sena and the Aiit Pawar faction of the NCP should be allotted. While the BJP has 132 members in the 288 member Assembly, the Shinde Sena had won 57 seats and the Ajit Pawar faction around 40 seats. The combined strength of the Mahayuti alliance is 132 - far ahead of the strength of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi which could win less than 50 seats in the election. Meanwhile unconfirmed reports did the rounds on Wednesday that the Shinde Sena may keep out of the government if its leader is not retained as chief minister. Other reports claimed that Shinde is likely to move to the Centre and be made a Union Minister if he is not inclined to serve under Fadnavis as chief minister.

The Sena has been all along been insisting that Shinde should continue as CM as he had pioneered the poll campaign of the Mahayuti and had also envisaged the welfare schemes which played a pivotal in helping the coalition sweep back to power in Maharashtra.