The anticipation of the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra kept growing after Eknath Shinde cancelled his meeting after he reportedly fell ill. On the other hand, NCP leader Ajit Pawar left for Delhi to meet BJP leaders.
Shinde, who was supposed to attend a meeting to finalize the allocation of government positions, is reportedly suffering from a throat infection and fever. He has been resting at his village in Satara and not returning to his official residence, ‘Varsha’. The meeting is now expected to happen on Tuesday.
However, sources from Shiv Sena said that there is no official plan for a Mahayuti meeting on Monday. The party is waiting for the BJP, the largest party in the alliance, to set up the meeting.
The Mahayuti coalition, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, won a large victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections on November 20, securing 230 out of 288 seats. The BJP won a record 132 seats, while Shiv Sena and NCP got 57 and 41 seats, respectively. There is speculation that BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis may become the Chief Minister, as the BJP has the most seats in the Assembly.
In a separate development, Eknath Shinde’s son, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, denied reports suggesting he was being considered for the Deputy Chief Minister role. He called these claims “baseless” and said he was not seeking any ministerial position in the state.
Shrikant Shinde shared a statement on social media saying, “The delay in the swearing-in ceremony of the new government has led to rumors. Caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took a break to rest in his village because of his illness, which started these rumors. The reports about me becoming Deputy Chief Minister are completely false.”
He also mentioned that even though he was offered a position in the central government after the NDA’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections, he chose to focus on strengthening the party instead.
“I have no interest in a position of power. I am not in the race for any ministerial role in the state,” he said, reaffirming his commitment to serving his Lok Sabha constituency and the Shiv Sena.
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