Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis who is the frontrunner to be the next state Chief Minister, and NCP leader Ajit ‘Dada’ Pawar are headed towards New Delhi, where the BJP’s national leadership, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is set to take the final decision about who will become the CM, sources said.
As per the normal schedule of events, a BJP national-level panel is expected to meet all the contenders to the Maharashtra CM’s post after which Shah will take a final callabout who will be Maharashtra CM.
However, it has been confirmed that behind the scenes that various “formulae” are at least being discussed internally between Mahayuti partners. These formulae include Fadnavis serving two-and-a-half years as CM, followed by Shinde serving the remaining two-and-a-half years of the term. Another option being discussed is a “two years plus two plus years plus one year formula” where Fadnavis will be CM for the first two years, followed by Shinde serving as CM for the next two years and Ajit Pawar serving as CM for the remaining one year of the five-year term.
In a related development, a source indicated that the Shinde-led Shiv Sena might get 12 ministerial berths including some key portfolios. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP could also be given 10 ministerial berths. The BJP, which has 132 MLAs, is likely to keep 21 ministerial berths for itself. The maximum permissible limit for the Council of Ministers in Maharashtra is 43, including the CM.
Meanwhile, speaking to The Statesman, the BJP’s official spokesperson in Mumbai, Keshav Upadhye officially denied the veracity of a report published in a section of the media which claimed that Fadnavis will serve as Maharashtra CM for the first two-and-a-half years, after which Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena will assume the CM’s role for the remaining two-and-a-half years of the five-year term. “The information is not true. No decision about who will become Maharashtra CM has been taken so far,” he said.
Incidentally, the above mentioned report had cited an RSS source and suggested that a “two-and-a-half years each” arrangement was agreed upon after discussions between RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, PM Modi and the BJP’s central leadership.
According to the report, Fadnavis could be elevated as BJP’s national president as he completes his two-and-a-half-year term, after which either BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde or former Maharashtra BJP state president Chandrakant Patil could be made Maharashtra Chief Minister.