Who will be Maharashtra's next CM: Eknath Shinde or Devendra Fadnavis?

Maharashtra election results: As of 2 pm, the Mahayuti alliance had taken a significant lead with 225 seats, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi was leading on only 55 seats

With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance appearing all set to emerge victorious in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, leading in 225 seats as of around 2 pm, discussions have intensified over who will assume the role of the state’s next chief minister.

 

The Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), is expected to resolve the chief ministerial question with a BJP leader likely to take charge, according to multiple media reports citing sources. 

 

BJP leaders say Maharashtra CM from their party 

Senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil has expressed strong support for Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to lead Maharashtra if the party secures the mandate. Speaking on Saturday, Patil reiterated that the ultimate decision would rest with the BJP’s central parliamentary board.

 

“Who the CM would be decided by our central parliamentary board. However, if we are asked, then we would unanimously say that it should be Devendra Fadnavis as the chief minister,” Patil remarked.

 

BJP legislator Pravin Darekar also advocated for Fadnavis’ appointment as the next chief minister, emphasising that the party with the most seats in the Mahayuti alliance should rightfully claim the top position. 

 

Shiv Sena bats for Eknath Shinde 

Meanwhile, workers from the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP factions have raised demands for their respective leaders to be considered for the chief ministerial post. Within the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), several MLAs have pointed to Shinde’s popularity as a reason for his continuation in office.

 

During the campaign, Eknath Shinde himself assured that there was no internal discord within the alliance over the chief ministerial candidate and that the matter would be resolved after the election results.

 

Shiv Sena leader Naresh Mhaske on Saturday credited Shinde’s leadership for the alliance’s success, saying, “Maharashtra has expressed its faith in Mahayuti... The people have stated that Eknath Shinde is the one who is capable of leading Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena… I am a Shiv Sena worker, and I think that Eknath Shinde should be the chief minister.”

 

When will Maharashtra’s new Chief Minister take oath 

According to news agency ANI, the oath-taking ceremony is expected to be held on November 26, with the BJP's party meeting scheduled for November 25.

 

Opposition INDIA alliance fails to make an impact 

On the other hand, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), consisting of the Indian National Congress (INC), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction), and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction, is trailing far behind the Mahayuti alliance, with leads in just 55 seats. The INC accounts for 20 of these leads, while Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction was ahead on 16, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction had 13.