Will Devendra Fadnavis become Maharashtra CM? Seat tally could seal Eknath Shinde's fate as Mahayuti leads

The early trends on Saturday showed the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition leading in Maharashtra with 221 seats at 11 am while the Congress-backed Maha Vikas Aghadi with 63 seats.

This comes as most exit polls also predicted a victory for the NDA alliance. BJP is leading in 105 seats while Shiv Sena was ahead in 56 seats and NCP 54.

However, amid the prospects of Mahayuti winning, the impending question is who will sit on the CM's chair. Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde has been the CM ever since his camp joined the Mahayuti while former CM Devendra Fadnavis and NCP's Ajit Pawar have been deputy CMs.

This equation is likely to change depending on the number of seats for each alliance partners. BJP has been playing second fiddle in the coalition though they have more seats that Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat said since the election was led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, he will be the natural pick for the CM's post.

However, the BJP camp is not likely to sit idle this time around. BJP's Pravin Darekar openly campaigned for Fadnavis, saying all alliance partners will decide the CM together.

These voices are likely to grow loud once the numbers become clear. Earlier, Fadnavis met RSS sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat, sparking rumours that he was trying to get Sangh endorsement for his CM post.

Reports suggested that BJP would not surrender its leverage to claim the chief minister's seat. However, analysts have not dismissed the chances of a realignment in the alliances, with the likelihood of disgruntled Shiv Sena and NCP leaving Mahayuti.