Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (Shinde) leader Eknath Shinde said he will decide by evening whether he will be part of the next government and accept the post of deputy chief minister in the new cabinet.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Maharashtra chief minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis revealed on Wednesday that he did request Shinde to accept the role of deputy CM in the new cabinet. Fadnavis, Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (AP) leader and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar met Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan on Wednesday and staked claim for government formation.
Addressing presspersons, Fadnavis said, “We will decide by evening who all will take oath tomorrow. Yesterday, I met Eknath Shinde and requested him that it is the wish of Mahayuti workers that he should be with us in this government. I have full faith that he will be with us; we will fulfil the promises made to the people of Maharashtra,” ANI reported.
CM Shinde said the alliance partners are together and he is happy to support Fadnavis for the CM post. “I am very happy with the completion of two-and-half years. The work done by the Mahayuti government is remarkable. It will be written in golden letters in history. We are happy that we took such big decisions,” ANI reported quoting Shinde.
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However, Ajit Pawar confirmed that he will take oath as deputy chief minister on Thursday. The swearing-in ceremony of the new Mahayuti government will be held at Azad Maidan on Thursday, at 5.30 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders are expected to attend the ceremony on Thursday.
The core committee of BJP unanimously supported Fadnavis’s name for CM on Wednesday. The BJP-led alliance won 230 seats in the recently held Maharashtra Assembly polls.