Leaders and workers of the three Mahayuti parties held meetings within their respective outfits on Sunday to discuss government formation and the crucial question of who will be the next chief minister, a day after the coalition notched up a thumping victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections.
Senior functionaries of both coalition leader Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena said they would want to see their own take the top spot and cited a number of reasons for their contention, but they also spoke of efforts to arrive at a consensus, including with the third main ally, Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The Mahayuti clinched 235 of 288 seats, with the BJP winning 132 seats, Shiv Sena 57, NCP 41 and others 5. The opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi secured 50 seats – Shiv Sena-UBT 20, Congress 16, and NCP-SP 10. The remaining two seats went to independents and one to AIMIM.
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, while indicating preference for Fadnavis, said a collective decision will be taken. “The final decision would be taken by the top leaders of the three parties. It is obvious that all three ruling parties and their workers want their leader in the top position. Similarly, BJP leaders, workers and party voters think Fadnavis should become CM,” he said.
A senior BJP leader familiar with the discussions said that while the party has the numbers to stake claim to the CM’s post, it must consider the broader coalition dynamics. “If Shinde continues as CM, it will send out the message that the Mahayuti is strong, and the BJP has adhered to coalition dharma. The elections were fought with Shinde as the face and it makes sense to give the winning CM another term,” the leader said, requesting anonymity.
The leader added that given recent developments at the national level, where BJP has been more deferential to coalition partners since losing its majority status in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, the decision carries additional weight. “The idea is to build consensus between the allies on the CM candidate. If the NCP also agrees to Devendra Fadnavis as the CM, then the Sena might also come around,” the leader said.
Shinde has cited the election campaign being fought under his leadership and the success of the Ladki Bahin scheme, which party insiders say was his brainchild and a key factor in the landslide victory, to make the case for retaining his position, a second person aware of the developments said.
On Sunday, women party workers visited his official residence Varsha and pressed for him to continue as chief minister. According to the person cited above, Shinde’s camp could also seek equal sharing of the post for two-and-half years each.
Shinde-led Sena leader and state minister Deepak Kesarkar said: “The elections were fought under his leadership and we have fared handsomely. However, ultimately, the decision will be taken by the BJP leadership”.
According to a second senior BJP leader who asked not to be named, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has backed Fadnavis for the position. “The RSS played a key role in Mahayuti’s victory and its advice is expected to be considered though the Sangh does not interfere in political decisions,” said a BJP functionary who requested anonymity.
Meanwhile, NCP re-elected Ajit Pawar as its legislative party leader in a meeting attended by newly elected MLAs, unsuccessful candidates and district presidents. “All our MLAs, MLCs and district presidents decided that Ajit Pawar will lead us in the state assembly,” said senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal after the meeting at Devgiri, the deputy chief minister’s official residence.
Bhujbal indicated support for Fadnavis as CM. “We still don’t know who will be the legislative party leaders in Shiv Sena and BJP. However, I don’t see any reason for opposing Devendra Fadnavis’s name as chief minister,” he said.
State NCP president Sunil Tatkare remained diplomatic. “We are realistic and want to strengthen our party further. As a ruling ally, we want to work for all deprived sections of society. The BJP leadership will decide who will be Maharashtra’s new chief minister,” he said when asked if they were pushing Ajit Pawar’s name.
Senior BJP leaders have questioned the delay in announcing observers’ names. “Once the names are announced by the central leadership, the newly appointed MLAs will be summoned to Mumbai for the meeting. The MLAs will have to be given at least 12 hours to travel to Mumbai. Since the process of appointing observers and holding the legislative party meeting hasn’t begun, the swearing-in is unlikely on Monday,” said the second senior BJP functionary quoted above.
The swearing-in ceremony is expected on or after November 27, according to legislature officials. “The 14th Assembly continues until November 26 and an earlier swearing-in would require dissolving the existing house through a cabinet meeting. Additionally, BJP leadership wants a grand function with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending. The venue is yet undecided as Wankhede stadium is unavailable due to ongoing Mushtaq Ali tournament matches,” said a state legislature official familiar with the matter, asking not to be named.