New Delhi: Devendra Fadnavis was appointed as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s legislative party leader on Wednesday during a core committee meeting. The decision paves the way for Fadnavis to likely reclaim the position of Maharashtra’s Chief Minister.
Eknath Shinde, the current caretaker Chief Minister, who held the top post from 2022 to 2024, is expected to serve as Fadnavis’ deputy, according to NDTV reports.
Union Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman, who attended the meeting, addressed the return of the “Mahayuti” coalition, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde camp), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under the leadership of Ajit Pawar. Sitharaman hailed the coalition’s “unexpected, unprecedented victory,” describing it as a message for a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India) and emphasized that the “double-engine government” would now operate under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The swearing-in ceremony for the new government is scheduled for December 5.
The path to the ceremony has been tumultuous, with Shinde expressing his desire to retain the Chief Minister’s role, despite deferring the final decision to Prime Minister Modi. Shinde, who has been unwell, previously stated that he had connected with the people and understood their struggles during his tenure as Chief Minister. However, he clarified that the final decision regarding the CM’s position would rest with Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and both he and Shiv Sena would support their decision.
Fadnavis, who served as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister from 2014 to 2019, had been Shinde’s deputy in the Mahayuti government.
The uncertainty over the Chief Minister’s position began after the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition trounced the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the November 20 assembly elections, with the BJP securing a record-breaking 132 seats out of 230, marking its best-ever performance in the state.
