People know who’ll be CM, we’re waiting for official stamp: Maharashtra BJP leader

The name of Maharashtra’s new chief minister has been finalised and a confirmation is awaited from the senior BJP leadership, party leader Raosaheb Danve has said.

The people of Maharashtra know who will be the next CM, former Union minister Danve said on Sunday (December 1) without taking any name.

The oath-taking ceremony of the new Mahayuti government will take place at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai on December 5 evening, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend it, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Saturday.

The Mahayuti constituents in Maharashtra will sit together and decide whether only the chief minister and the deputies will take oath on December 5 or ministers will also be sworn in, he said on Sunday.

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Fadnavis frontrunner for CM’s post

While there was no announcement yet on who would be the chief minister, BJP sources said Devendra Fadnavis, who has been chief minister twice and was deputy CM in the last Eknath Shinde-led government, was the frontrunner for the post.

Danve in an interview to a regional news channel said, “Even people know who is going to be the next chief minister of Maharashtra. We are waiting for finalisation of the same person’s name by the senior leaders of our party.”

On the ongoing discussions without an announcement of the chief minister’s name, he indicated the public has a good idea of the candidate. “We are waiting for official stamp (approval) on the name,” the BJP leader added.

On the composition of the Cabinet, Danve said, “It is the chief minister’s prerogative on whom to include in the state Cabinet.”

Also read: Shinde does politics in Bal Thackeray’s name, party’s future decided in Delhi: Raut

Shinde’s health and speculations

Maharashtra’s caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde headed to his native village Dare in Satara district on Friday, amid speculation that he was not happy with the way the new state government was shaping up.

Shinde, who suffered from high fever in his village, was recovering and will return to Mumbai on Sunday evening, a close aide said.

Asked about Shinde’s visit to his village in Satara, Danve said the caretaker CM’s health does not impede functioning of the state administration. “When a chief minister visits his native place, we see pride in it,” the BJP leader said.

“When Manmohan Singh was the country’s prime minister (during the UPA government), he underwent heart surgery. The administration continued to function,” Danve added.

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BJP yet to pick legislature party leader

Mahayuti allies Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have already declared Shinde and Ajit Pawar as their legislature party leaders, respectively. However, the BJP, which is the largest Mahayuti constituent, is yet to name its legislature party leader.

NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Saturday said the chief minister will be from the BJP, while there will be deputy CMs from the two allies — his party and the Shiv Sena. Pawar was a deputy CM in the last government.

A senior BJP leader told PTI that it was decided on Saturday that its legislature party leader will be chosen at 1 pm on December 2. “But now it looks like the meeting may be postponed to December 3 or 4,” said the leader who did not wish to be named.

Also read: Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde praises father Eknath Shinde for following ‘alliance dharma’

No info about swearing-in: Bhujbal

Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said he was in Nashik and had not been informed about the swearing-in ceremony. “Our leaders Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, and Sunil Tatkare haven’t given us any information,” he said.

The Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP retained power with a landslide victory in the assembly elections, the results of which were announced on November 23.

While the simple majority figure in the 288-member House is 145, the BJP alone bagged 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and NCP with 41 seats.

But government formation has been delayed as the alliance failed to evolve a consensus on who would be the chief minister. The NCP has already stated that Fadnavis was acceptable to it as chief minister.

(With agency inputs)