Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs broke into a dance in the lobby of the Goa hotel where they are staying when they heard that Eknath Shinde was going to be the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
While Shinde arrived in Mumbai earlier on Thursday, the MLAs of his faction stayed back in Goa where they had landed from Guwahati a day earlier. In the evening, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis made a stunning announcement during a press conference that Shinde would be the next CM.
It was widely expected that Fadnavis, leader of the largest single party in the Maharashtra Assembly, would become the CM and Shinde his deputy following the Uddhav Thackeray government's collapse. A video showed rebel MLAs dancing to the tune of Marathi songs in the lobby of the five-star resort after Fadnavis made the announcement.
The hotel had put up a big TV screen in the lobby. Shinde later spoke to them on a video call, informing them about the development.
Published 30 June 2022, 19:27 IST