Ending the long-standing suspense over the next Maharashtra CM, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was elected as the BJP's Legislative Party leader during the core committee meeting at the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai. The meeting was attended by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani.
Fadnavis, along with other Mahayuti leaders, is expected to visit Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan soon to stake a claim to form the government in the state.
The BJP parliamentary Board on Monday deputed Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani as observers for the Maharashtra Legislative Party meeting.
During today’s meeting, Fadnavis' name was proposed by senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil and received unanimous support from the newly-elected MLAs. Before the meeting, many BJP MLAs expressed their preference for Fadnavis as the next Maharashtra CM, calling him their "first choice."
Earlier today, a core committee meeting chaired by Sitharaman and Rupani was held at 10 am, followed by the legislative party meeting at 11 am.
Although the BJP remained silent on the name of the next Chief Minister, several media reports suggested that Devendra Fadnavis is the frontrunner for the coveted post. The BJP also confirmed that the swearing-in ceremony will take place on December 5 at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders in attendance.
Mahayuti's resounding victory in Assembly elections
After a lackluster performance in this year’s Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has made a resounding comeback in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), secured a landslide victory, winning 230 of the state’s 288 seats.
After the results were announced, several names from within the Mahayuti alliance circulated as potential candidates for the CM's post.
Many Shiv Sena leaders voiced support for the caretaker Chief Minister, praising him for Mahayuti's thumping victory and crediting him for leading the party in the Assembly polls. However, Shinde himself announced in the media that he would accept the BJP's decision on the CM.
Meanwhile, speculations were rife that the BJP could adopt the same strategy it used in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana by giving a chance to a new face.
