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‘Maha’ CM battle: Shiv Sena pitches to Eknath Shinde with ‘Bihar model’ example; Will Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar agree? | India News – Times of India
‘BJP should follow Bihar model in Maharashtra’
Shiv Sena spokesperson Naresh Mhaske on Monday pitched for Eknath Shinde as chief minister, citing the BJP’s deal with Nitish Kumar in Bihar. “We believe Shinde should be the chief minister, just like in Bihar, where the BJP did not look at the numbers but still made JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar the CM. Senior leaders of the Mahayuti (in Maharashtra) will ultimately make a decision,” Mhaske said.
The Lok Sabha member compared the situation to the leadership dynamics in Haryana, where the BJP recently contested the Assembly elections under the leadership of Nayab Singh Saini.
“The election in Maharashtra was contested under the leadership of Shinde, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. This shows that the leadership of the alliance must be respected,” he said, adding, “Shinde has established himself as a commoner. He is the most popular leader in Maharashtra. recent surveys by some news outlets, his name is the front runner.”
Shinde, who has emerged as a strong candidate for the post, is not missing any opportunity to claim that his government’s ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme was the deciding factor in the elections. On Sunday, he met the beneficiaries of the scheme and expressed his gratitude to them for the historic victory of the Mahayuti alliance.
CM Shinde, while addressing the gathering, said that the government will soon increase the amount to Rs 2,100 as promised.
“I am with you all, I thank all Majhi Ladki Bahin for choosing me. You all chose Mahayuti as we promised that we will give Rs 2100 to all my sisters. This government is yours and you choose again for this government. I feel blessed You all came here and gave me blessings. This is an ordinary people’s government and we are working for the growth of Maharashtra,” he said.
However, going by the numbers, it is impossible for the Shiv Sena to dictate terms with the BJP.
Will NCP play the kingmaker?
The NCP, which had hoped to be the kingpin in government formation, could ultimately play a key role in the decision between Fadnavis and Shinde as the state’s next chief minister. Ajit Pawar’s party proved several pundits wrong when it won a whopping 41 seats and won its rightful place in the alliance. Ajit Pawar, who was blamed for Mahayuti’s mishandling in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, is now in a position to play the kingmaker.
Ajit Pawar on Monday said that no “formula” is being discussed for the chief minister’s post and a decision on the matter will be taken jointly by the Mahayuti partners. “Yesterday, the NCP elected me as the leader of the party in the assembly. Eknath Shinde was also elected as Shiv Sena leader in the assembly and the BJP will do the same. We will sit together and discuss and will ensure a stable government,” he said. .
Ajit Pawar also said that they will decide on the formula to work out for the cabinet formation of the three parties. “There are news reports that the government must be formed before November 27 or there will be presidential rule, but there is no such thing,” the NCP leader said.
The NCP supremo may prefer Fadnavis over Shinde as his boss, considering that Shinde and Shiv Sena as a regional leader would be a bigger future rival.
Will Fadnavis sacrifice himself again?
Fadnavis, who was Maharashtra’s chief minister from 2014 to 2019, has led the BJP to its best-ever performance in the state. In 2019, he could not become chief minister as pre-poll ally Uddhav Thackeray parted ways with the NDA and formed the MVA government along with the Congress and the NCP. In 2022, Fadnavis worked closely with Eknath Shinde to oust the MVA government and pave the way for the return of the NDA government. However, the top leadership of the BJP then decided to give the top job to Eknath Shinde. Fadnavis, who had then announced his retirement from the government, was asked by the party leadership to work as Shinde’s deputy.
With Shinde’s Shiv Sena making strong claims for the top spot, it will be interesting to see whether Fadnavis, after helping the party win a record 132 seats, is ready for another sacrifice in the name of the alliance.
While Shinde remained the Mahayuti chief minister during the elections, Fadnavis, as deputy CM, played an important role in governance. In the run-up to the elections, when reporters asked who is the CM face of the Mahayuti vis-à-vis the MVA, Fadnavis dodged a direct answer and said, “Our chief minister is sitting here, who is the CM face of the MVA.” MVA?” He did not say that Shinde was the CM face of the alliance.
