Maharashtra polls: Shinde, Fadnavis or Gadkari? BJP's tough task to pick next CM

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has achieved a landslide victory against its arch-rival INDIA alliance in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, by winning more than 230 seats with a strike rate of more than 80 per cent.

This outcome is the best-ever electoral performance of the BJP-led NDA in the state. However, after the ruling Mahayuti alliance emerged triumphant in a tough electoral battle, the BJP-NDA combine now has to make a difficult decision.

Also read: BJP's dominance in Maharashtra: Decoding the party's historic victory

Shinde or Fadnavis?

The mammoth majority in the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly has made it even more difficult for the BJP-NDA to choose the next chief minister of the state. While the NDA contested the polls under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, there is no doubt that both these leaders would want to become the chief minister again.

While Shiv Sena, with its 57 seats, wants Shine to continue to lead the government, Fadnavis too would want to return to the top post after a gap of five years. Fadnavis remains the leader of the BJP in Maharashtra and is the most popular choice for the post of chief minister in the saffron party.

Also read: Recipe for BJP’s Maharashtra poll reversal in 5 months: ‘Safe if united’

“It is obvious that we want Eknath Shinde to continue as the chief minister of Maharashtra because this victory can be attributed to the work done by the Maharashtra government under the leadership of the chief minister. The NDA contested the elections under the leadership of Eknath Shinde and he is the sitting chief minister so Shiv Sena would want him to continue. The final choice will be made by the NDA leadership who will sit together in the next few days and decide on the issue,” Shrirang Barne, senior leader of Shiv Sena and parliamentarian, told The Federal.

'Fadnavis is the obvious choice'

Most BJP leaders feel that Fadnavis is the obvious choice for the top post because BJP is the single largest party in the state and also the biggest NDA partner with 133 seats in the Assembly.

Also read: Mahayuti 'tsunami' might leave Maharashtra Assembly without LoP

Senior BJP leaders say the party should take back the post of chief minister from Shiv Sena because the party is less dependent on Shiv Sena after the outcome of the election. The halfway mark in the Maharashtra assembly is 145 and the BJP alone is at 133 seats.

“The obvious choice is Devendra Fadnavis because he is the leader of BJP in Maharashtra. There is no doubt that Fadnavis can be the chief minister because he has already led the NDA in the state before. However, the final decision will be taken by the parliamentary board of the BJP and the leadership will decide the name of the next chief minister. There are many considerations while choosing the chief minister so the final decision will be made by the central leadership of BJP,” a senior BJP leader from Maharashtra, told The Federal.

Also read: Mayahuti's huge win marks longest non-Congress in office

Gadkari among contenders for CM's chair

Even as the BJP and NDA leaders in Maharashtra may believe that Fadnavis is the obvious choice and Shinde is the sitting chief minister, other senior leaders like Vinod Tawde, the national general secretary of BJP, are among the top contenders to lead the next government in the state.

Members of the BJP are of the view that Tawde is a Maratha and can help the BJP to subdue the protests by the Maratha community and also help in reaching out to the community. He is also the national general secretary the position which has allowed him to work closely with the senior members of the Union government and also the party.

Also read: Mahayuti partners to decide on CM face together: Shinde

“The RSS will have a definite say in the decision-making of the next chief minister of Maharashtra. The victory is of the BJP and NDA but the force behind this victory is the RSS and Sangh Parivar. The BJP leadership cannot ignore the suggestions of the Sangh Parivar because it has become clear that BJP needs Sangh Parivar to defeat the Opposition. The Sangh Parivar may agree to the names of Devendra Fadnavis, Vinod Tawde and Eknath Shinde,” Dilip Deodhar, author and observer of RSS, told The Federal.

Also in contention to be the next NDA chief minister is Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Senior leaders of the BJP believe that after the mammoth victory, the BJP will need a prominent face in the state who would be able to manage the alliance partners of NDA.

“Nitin Gadkari is a senior leader of BJP, he has worked in the state and he is the only leader who can manage the alliance well with this kind of mandate. The BJP-NDA government will have at least two deputy chief ministers and Gadkari is the only leader who is senior to both Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar to deal with them in the NDA,” a senior BJP leader from Mumbai told The Federal.

New BJP president and Cabinet expansion

While the focus remains on the choice of the next chief minister of Maharashtra, the BJP also has to elect the next party president before the end of January.

The current BJP President, JP Nadda, got an extension because of the Lok Sabha polls and the elections in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the tenure will come to an end in January 2025 and the party is expected to choose the president soon.

“I will not be surprised if Devendra Fadnavis is offered the role of party president by the BJP with the backing of RSS and the Sangh Parivar,” said Deodhar.

The BJP leaders also said that if the NDA decides to name a BJP leader as the next chief minister then it is possible that Shinde would be accommodated in the Union Cabinet and would work for the NDA at the national level.

“The Shiv Sena and NCP are among the NDA partners that have no representation in the Union council of ministers. The inclusion of both Shiv Sena and NCP is long due and it is possible that the two NDA partners will be accommodated in the next Cabinet expansion,” a senior BJP leader from Maharashtra told The Federal.