Devendra Fadnavis Elected Leader Of BJP Legislative Party As Tussle With Sena Deepens

Incumbent Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to be elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party amid demand by its ally Shiv Sena for the top post on a rotational basis.

(PTI Photo)

New Delhi: As the tussle between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena over power-sharing continues in Maharashtra, the BJP legislative party will meet on Wednesday to elect its leader. Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and party’s vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna have been appointed as central observers for the proceedings. Incumbent Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to be elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party amid demand by its ally Shiv Sena for the top post on a rotational basis. In a related development earlier in the day, Fadnavis announced that Shah will not be attending the BJP legislature party meeting on Wednesday. Fadnavis asserted on Tuesday that he will be the chief minister for another five years. Hours after Fadnavis denied the Shiv Sena was assured post of the CM for 2.5 years as part of a power sharing "formula", Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday cancelled his party's meeting with the BJP on formation of the next government. The development might potentially worsen the already strained relationship between the two parties. The meeting was to be attended by Union minister Prakash Javadekar and senior Sena leaders. The development came within hours of Fadnavis' presser in which he denied that the Sena was ever promised the CM's post for two-and-a-half years when the alliance was formalised before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Thackeray has been insisting that the 50:50 formula on sharing of power was "agreed upon" between himself, BJP chief Amit Shah and Fadnavis ahead of the Lok Sabha polls this year. The Sena had demanded a written assurance from the BJP for implementing "equal formula for sharing of power" before holding talks on staking the claim to form the next alliance government in the state. On Tuesday, the Sena also released an old video clip to "rebut" the CM's claims on sharing of power in which the latter purportedly talked about equal sharing of posts and responsibilities in the BJP-led state government.