The suspense over who will be the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra continues but as per BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis the wait will be over 'soon'. His statement comes at a time when Eknath Shinde announced a media address at 3 pm today. On being asked about the CM's face, former Maharashtra Deputy CM Fadnavis said: "The answer to this will be given soon."
"All senior members of the 3 parties (BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP) of Mahayuti are taking a decision on this together," he added.
Since the announcement of the Maharashtra assembly election results on Saturday, the suspense over the name of the next Chief Minister has remained. Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, recorded a thumping victory in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly election, winning more than the 2/3rd of the 288 seats. The Mahayuti coalition won 230 assembly seats. The BJP led with 132 seats, followed by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena with 57 seats and Ajit Pawar's NCP secured 41 seats.
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Multiple sources suggest that the BJP is adamant about appointing Devendra Fadnavis as the next chief minister of Maharashtra. To which the response from Eknath Shinde's side is that he has threatened to leave the coalition and provide outside support to the saffron party.
Amid speculations on tug-of-war for the CM's post, RPI(A) leader Ramdas Athawale offered a unique suggestion asking Shinde to move to the Centre while paving the way for Fadnavis as the next chief minister of Maharashtra.