Maharashtra CM deadlock: Maha Yuti meeting put off; 'sulking' Eknath Shinde reaches his native village

Mumbai: A week after the Maha Yuti-NDA swept the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, the BJP is yet to convene the Legislature Party meeting even as caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is under the weather, reached his village in Satara district on Friday evening. 

Despite the brute majority to BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance, the government formation is being delayed and it is expected to be in office only in the first week of December. 

The development takes place after the marathon meeting that Shinde had with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, where they were later joined Devendra Fadnavis, who calls the shots in the BJP and Ajit Pawar, the NCP President. 

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister and BJP President JP Nadda too joined the meeting. 

Shinde, who is seeking another term or a two-and-a-half-year rotational CM post, is reportedly upset.

Though Shinde paved way for a BJP CM, he has staked claim over two crucial departments - Home or Urban Development, however, the saffron party was non-committal. Besides, the Sena is also asking for the post of Chairperson of Legislative Council. 

Fadnavis has refused to part with the Home department, which he headed as CM as well as Deputy CM. 

“I am happy…I am satisfied…the deadlock is over…everything is fine. I am a caretaker CM… I am taking care of everyone,” Shinde said before his departure from New Delhi, in what was a very symbolic statement. 

Shinde and Fadnavis arrived in Mumbai in the wee hours in different flights, while Pawar around noon. 

Back in Mumbai, Fadnavis had a stream of visitors which included newly-elected MLAs. 

Fadnavis, a former two-time CM, one-term Deputy CM and ex-Leader of Opposition, is expected to be on the top job. 

Around 18;30 hrs, a helicopter carrying Shinde, landed in the Dare village in Jawali tehsil of Satara district, nearly 270 kms away from downtown Mumbai. 

Shinde is expected to be in his village for a couple of days and is expected to be back on Sunday evening or Monday morning. 

The Maha Yuti meeting, which was expected on Friday, has been postponed as the BJP LP has to meet and formally elect its leader.

Sources in the BJP said that a meeting of the Mahayuti leaders will be held in the coming week, most possibly on Monday. Party leaders said that no decision will be announced on Saturday due to astrological reasons.

"The prime minister also has an engagement in Bhubaneshwar over the weekend -- he is attending the DG's conference on November 30 and December 1. So, announcements of decisons or sweaing-in will be held after that," a senior BJP leader part of the poll process, said.    

 Even though Fadnavis is the frontrunner and some other names are doing rounds. “What pre-poll discussions on power-sharing had happened, is going to be important,” sources said. 

As far as NCP LP is concerned, it has unanimously elected Pawar while the Shiv Sena LP authorised Shinde to take all final decisions. 

Meanwhile, Shinde aide and MLA Uday Samant said that Shinde was not upset. “He (Shinde) is not upset. Even in New Delhi, he was a bit down with fever and cold. Hence, it will be wrong to say he has gone to Dare because he is upset…anyone can face health issues, and if he has gone to a good place (for health reasons), there is no point in concluding that he is upset," Samant said, adding that Shinde can joined meeting through video-conference.

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Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls took place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP went up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress tried to make their mark. Maha Yuti are currently comfortably poised to win. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faced a challenge after Hemant Soren's arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP, but look set to retain power with its I.N.D.I.A. allies. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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