Maharashtra CM Face-Off: The political deadlock in Maharashtra continues even nine days after the assembly election results, with uncertainty over the formation of the new government. Current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde remains firm on retaining his position, citing public support, while the Mahayuti alliance struggles to reach a consensus on leadership. Adding to the tensions, Shiv Sena MLA Gulabrao Patil claimed that Ajit Pawar’s NCP involvement cost them 90-100 seats, intensifying the war of words within the alliance.
Let’s take a look at the latest developments in the Maharashtra CM face-off…
Table of Contents
Is Eknath Shinde in a rebellious mood? Said- the public wants me to become the Chief Minister
Even after the Mahayuti got a huge majority in Maharashtra, the path to forming a government is getting more complicated day by day instead of getting resolved. Shiv Sena leader and acting CM Eknath Shinde does not want to leave the CM’s chair. He has once again clearly said that the people of the state want to see him as the CM. Just a day ago, he had said that if Ajit Pawar’s NCP had not been brought into the alliance, his party would have contested on 90 to 100 seats and their seats would have been more.
Talking to Indian Express, Shinde said that I was the CM of the people. I have been saying that I was not only the CM but I am a common man. I understand the problems of the people and their pain and I have tried to solve those problems. As I work for the common people, people believe that I should become the CM. On the other hand, BJP is preparing for the swearing-in of the new government on December 5 at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. In such a situation, this statement of Eknath Shinde becomes very important.
Shinde’s claim – Election was fought under his leadership
He reminded the central leadership of BJP that under his leadership, Mahayuti successfully fought the assembly elections in the state. However, he further said that whatever decision Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah take, his party will accept it. Shinde said this while talking to journalists in his village Dare in Satara district. After meeting with Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday, Shinde went to his village. There it was said that his health was not well. Then he returned to Thane on Sunday.
Shinde said that the kind of success achieved by the Mahayuti government has not been achieved by any other party till date. The assembly elections were fought under his leadership. Both the deputy chief ministers and other colleagues were with me. We achieved a big victory. Then he further said that there is no confusion. I had said in a press conference that whatever decision Narendra Modi and Amit Shah take regarding the CM post will be acceptable to them.
Why has the Mahayuti not yet reached a consensus on the Chief Minister? The war of words has intensified in Maharashtra
Even after the huge victory of Mahayuti in the Maharashtra assembly elections, voices of dissent emerged from the alliance on Sunday amid confusion over government formation. Mahayuti includes Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). This alliance won 230 seats out of 288 assembly seats in the state. BJP won the maximum 132 seats, while Shiv Sena got 57 and NCP got 41 seats.
Shiv Sena MLA Gulabrao Patil on Sunday said that if Ajit Pawar’s NCP was not a part of the Mahayuti, the Eknath Shinde-led party could have won 90-100 seats in the assembly elections held on November 20. Ajit Pawar joined the Shinde government in July last year and was made the Deputy Chief Minister.
Patil, a minister in the outgoing government, told a regional news channel, “We contested only 85 seats. Without Ajit Dada, we could have won 90-100 seats. Shinde never asked why the Ajit Pawar-led NCP was included in his government.” He also praised Shinde and said that Shinde is a big-hearted person who believes in contesting instead of getting angry.
Countering this, NCP spokesperson Amol Mitkari asked Patil not to speak such trivial things. Mitkari said, “Patil should first think about joining the cabinet. This time his chances of becoming a minister are very less.” In another verbal spat within the Mahayuti, Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad targeted Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav and BJP leader Sanjay Kute.
Gaikwad had won the November 20 election in Buldhana by a narrow margin of just 841 votes against Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) candidate Jayshree Shelke.
Gaikwad claimed, “Jadhav called a close aide of Shiv Sena (Ubatha) chief Uddhav Thackeray and asked him to field Shelke against me. Kute also called Shiv Sena (Ubatha) leader Anil Parab and made the same request. Not a single district level leader of my party or alliance was with me.”
He asked, “Why did Kute meet Shelke at midnight? Why do leaders of alliance parties behave like this?” Jadhav is an MP from Buldhana and is the Minister of State for AYUSH as well as Health and Family Welfare in the Narendra Modi-led central government. Kute had won the election from Jalgaon (Jamod) assembly seat.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Raosaheb Danve said that if the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena had contested the assembly elections as allies, the victory would have been much bigger than the victory of the Mahayuti. After meeting senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai, Danve said, “Shiv Sena broke up because of Sanjay Raut. You wait for six months. He will also create a rift between Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray.”
Danve said, “If Shiv Sena had not split and had contested the elections in alliance with BJP, our victory would have been bigger than what we have got so far. In 2019 also, we had won the assembly elections comfortably.” Even after more than a week of the Mahayuti’s landslide victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections, the new government has not been formed.
BJP’s Maharashtra unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Saturday that the swearing-in ceremony of the new Mahayuti government will be held at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai on the evening of December 5 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend it. There is also a lot of speculation about Shinde’s role in the new government, while some of his colleagues have openly said that the Shiv Sena should be given the important home department.
Also read:
The Issue is… Eknath Shinde is troubled by these 5 questions, this is why he does not want to give the CM chair to Devendra Fadnavis!
1- Why did Shiv Sena break?
If Eknath Shinde leaves the CM’s chair, then he will have to answer this biggest question. In 2022, by breaking the Shiv Sena, he got the CM’s chair with the strength of just 40 MLAs. At that time, he had alleged that under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, the party had deviated from its principles. On the other hand, it is well known that in 2019, Uddhav Thackeray broke the alliance with BJP because Shiv Sena did not get the CM’s chair. At that time, Shinde was also with him in this decision of Uddhav. Now the situation with Shinde is also like 2019. He wants the CM’s chair and BJP is not giving him this post.
2- Afraid to be accused of nepotism
If Eknath Shinde leaves the CM’s chair and makes his son Shrikant Shinde the deputy CM in the possible government to be formed under the leadership of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, then he will be accused of nepotism. He has been making the same allegation on Uddhav Thackeray. He had said that no one other than Thackeray can move up in Shiv Sena. He had targeted Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aditya Thackeray on this pretext. But now a similar situation seems to be developing in front of him.
3- BMC Elections
In the coming time, elections for the Brihadmumbai Municipal Council or BMC are going to be held. Shiv Sena Uddhav faction dominates the BMC. In such a situation, if Eknath Shinde leaves the CM’s chair, then Uddhav’s Shiv Sena will accuse him of bowing down to the BJP. Along with this, it will send a message to Shiv Sainiks that this is what happens to those who go with the BJP. The BJP does not respect its allies after its work is done.
4- Maratha Samman
Eknath Shinde is a Maratha leader. On the other hand, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is not very popular among the Maratha community. Manoj Jarange Patil, who led the movement for Maratha reservation, openly targets Devendra Fadnavis. In such a situation, not giving the CM’s chair to Shinde will increase resentment against the BJP in the Maratha community. Then these votes may shift towards Uddhav’s Shiv Sena instead of Shinde.
5- If he did good work then why did he not get the post?
Eknath Shinde is repeatedly claiming that the Mahayuti fought the elections under his leadership. His government did a great job in two and a half years. He is a common man and understands the pain of the common man. Till date no other government in Maharashtra has made such a comeback. In such a situation, if his claims are so strong then why did he not get the CM’s chair. He will have to answer this question too.
