Shiv Sena Leaders Met Ajit Pawar's NCP Faction To Seek Support For Eknath Shinde For CM's Chair

Sources have told ABP News that the leaders of the Shinde faction and Ajit Pawar faction met for over an hour on Monday over the government formation in Maharashtra.

Amid the ongoing suspense over the Chief Minister's choice in Maharashtra, the leaders of the Eknath Shinde camp have reached out to the Ajit Pawar faction over support for Eknath Shinde for the top post in the state.

Sources have told ABP News that the leaders of the Shinde faction and Ajit Pawar faction met for over an hour on Monday over the government formation in Maharashtra.

They also suggested that the Ajit Pawar's NCP faction has not made any decision on support to Shinde's Sena yet. NCP, which is also a part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, has already expressed its support to the BJP for the Chief Minister's position. The suspense over the chief minister choice in Maharashtra is likely to become clear in the next 48 hours.

Shiv Sena MPs have reportedly sought time to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue. Seven Shiv Sena MLAs and four former MPs are expected to be part of the delegation to meet PM Modi.

The slugfest over the CM's chair is seeing no resolution even as Devendra Fadnavis visited New Delhi to meet top BJP leadership over the government formation in Maharashtra. 

The BJP leader has held several rounds of meeting after his return to Mumbai regarding the CM's post, however, the matter is yet to be finalized.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLA and party spokesperson Sanjay Pandurang Shirsat said that the Chief Minister's choice will be announced by November 30. 

Reports Shiv Sena MLAs including Eknath Shinde are reportedly upset with BJP pushing its candidate as the next chief minister while claiming no such pre-poll agreement was done amid the Mahayuti alliance. 

The conundrum over whether Shinde will continue at the helm or whether Devendra Fadnavis, who steered the BJP to stupendous victory, will replace him remains unsolved even three days after the Mahayuti romped home to retain power.

The BJP won 132 seats in the recently-held assembly polls for the 288-member House, followed by Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which won 57 and 41 seats, respectively. With the term of the outgoing Maharashtra assembly ending on November 26, Shinde met Governor C P Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan and tendered his resignation. The governor asked Shinde to act as a caretaker chief minister till the new CM is sworn in.