The power tussle in Maharashtra appeared to move towards a climax on Thursday afternoon as the Shiv Sena announced the election of veteran MLA Eknath Shinde as the leader of its legislature party. The Shiv Sena MLAs' meeting had been highly anticipated, given perceived lack of clarity on whether the party had reached an agreement with its pre-poll ally the BJP on sharing of power.
The election of Shinde, ahead of Aaditya Thackeray, is likely to be interpreted as a sign of a climbdown. Aaditya Thackeray proposed the name of Shinde, which was seconded by senior MLA Pratap Sarnaik, party sources said. Interestingly, there had been speculation the name of Aaditya would be considered for the post of legislature party leader.
Soon after the Assembly election result, several Shiv Sena MLAs had publicly called for Aaditya to be made chief minister, even though the BJP had more seats. However, on Wednesday, the Shiv Sena declared its alliance with the BJP was intact, amid reports the BJP had agreed to concede to its ally's demand for ministerial portfolios and the deputy chief minister's post.
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Soon after the announcement of Shinde's appointment, the Shiv Sena announced it was going to meet Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at 3.30pm on Thursday. A Shiv Sena leader said the party's delegation will demand prompt financial aid for farmers hit by untimely rains. Shinde and Subhash Desai are part of the delegation.
(With PTI inputs)