New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashok Chavan stated on November 27 that the formation of the Maharashtra government would involve consensus among all parties. In an interview, he emphasized, “Since there is an alliance of three parties, any decisions will be made only after thorough discussions. It’s only been four days since the results were released, so there’s no reason for concern about delays. Ramdas Athawale’s comments reflect his personal view; a stable government will be established.”
On November 26, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale suggested that Devendra Fadnavis should lead the Mahayuti government, claiming that the people of Maharashtra want him as the next Chief Minister, with Eknath Shinde potentially serving as Deputy CM or joining the Modi administration. Following Eknath Shinde’s resignation as Chief Minister, he has been acting as the caretaker CM until the new government is formed, but the Mahayuti alliance has yet to determine its leadership.
Athawale noted that Shinde seems “unhappy” after learning that the BJP high command may have settled on Fadnavis as the next Chief Minister. However, he believes that since the BJP secured 132 seats, a resolution must be found. He proposed that Shinde could either take on the role of Deputy Chief Minister or be appointed as a Union Minister in PM Modi’s cabinet. Athawale stressed that the BJP leadership should quickly engage in discussions with Fadnavis, Shinde, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Ajit Pawar to finalize the decision.
In the recent Maharashtra assembly elections held on November 20, the BJP emerged as the largest party, winning 132 of the 280 seats, while its allies, the Shiv Sena under Shinde and the NCP led by Ajit Pawar, secured 57 and 41 seats, respectively. The election results were announced on November 23.