BJP workers chant Devendra Fadnavis' name when asked who would take oath as next Maharashtra CM

Mumbai: Even as the BJP has declared that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde would lead the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls in Maharashtra, the saffron party dropped indication that Devendra Fadnavis would head the government once again after the 2024 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections.

The indications came after the BJP’s success in the recently-concluded Assembly polls - in which the saffron party retained power in Madhya Pradesh, snatched power from Congress in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and increased tally in Telangana and Mizoram - collectively bagging more than 50 per cent of the seats.

The 53-year-old Fadnavis, who currently is the Deputy Chief Minister, is a two-term chief minister and ex-Leader of the Opposition in Assembly.

Addressing a meeting of party workers in Bhandara, state BJP President Chandrashekar Bawankule asked as to who would take oath as the next Chief Minister at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, to which, the party workers responded: “Devendra Fadnavis… Devendra Fadnavis”.

Bawankule, an MLC and former minister, said that to realise the dream, the party cadres would have to work hard.

He said that the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are a few months away and party workers need to resolve to get 45 of the 48 MPs elected from Maharashtra and ensure Prime Minister Narendra Modi a third term.

Fadnavis headed the BJP-Shiv Sena government October 31, 2014 - November 12, 2019, however, after the Assembly polls, Uddhav Thackeray demanded that the post of Chief Minister be made rotational, which the BJP rejected. With the support of a group of NCP led by Ajit Pawar, Fadnavis became the Chief Minister again 23-28 November, 2019, but the government collapsed.

After this the Thackeray-headed Maha Vikas Aghadi government came to power in the state which collapsed after the rebellion in June 2022. Shinde was appointed Chief Minister on 30 June, 2022 but the party high command ordered Fadnavis to be the Deputy Chief Minister. On 2 July, 2023, Pawar too joined the government and became Deputy Chief Minister.

The Maha Yuti (NDA) comprising BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP and other parties would contest the polls together under the leadership of Shinde.