Outgoing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Wednesday that the Shiv Sena will fully support the Bharatiya Janata Party's decision to name the next Maharashtra CM.
Addressing a press conference at his residence in Thane, Shinde said he had told Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to decide on the next chief minister and that his party would abide by that decision.
“I called PM Modi yesterday and also Amit Shah and told them to decide (on who will be the CM post), and assured them that I will abide by whatever decision they take,” Shinde said amid reports that he was disappointed for not getting a second term as CM despite the ruling Mahayuti alliance winning a thumping victory under his leadership.
According to reports, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who served as the deputy chief minister under Shinde, is likely to be named as the new CM.
“Our Shiv Sena will fully support the BJP's decision to name the next Maharashtra CM. There is no speed breaker from our side,” Shinde asserted.
Asked about who will be the deputy chief ministers in the new cabinet, the Shiv Sena leader said it will be discussed in his meeting with Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday. The modalities of forming the next government will be finalised in the meeting, he added.
Shinde thanked the people of Maharashtra for the landslide victory of the Mahayuti alliance in the assembly polls. “I campaigned extensively, used to sleep for 2-3 hours before starting campaign work next day,” he said.
Among the Mahayuti parties, the BJP bagged 132 seats to become the single largest party in the state while Shiv Sena and the NCP won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
Shinde claimed that he had worked as the chief minister not to become popular but for the welfare of the people of Maharashtra. “I am a worker forever; for me, CM is not Chief Minister but Common Man,” he added.
Shinde also thanked the BJP leadership for its support during his two-and-a-half year tenure as the chief minister. "We worked to take Maharashtra to Number 1 spot from Number 3 in six months of my becoming CM. I am not disappointed. We fight and don't cry,” said the Shiv Sena leader.
Shinde tendered his resignation as CM to Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan on Tuesday. The governor has asked him to continue as caretaker chief minister until the new government is formed.