Mumbai:
The suspense over who would be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra could be resolved this evening as the three key leaders of the ruling alliance — Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar — meet Union Home minister and the BJP’s chief strategist Amit Shah in Delhi. Mr Fadnavis and Mr Shinde are on way to Delhi and the meeting is expected to begin at 9 pm.
The meeting is being held a day after Eknath Shinde said he would not be an ‘obstacle” and go by the decision of the BJP Central leadership regarding the top post, effectively clearing decks for Mr Fadnavis, seen as the front-runner in the race.
“I have told PM Modi that I would not be an obstacle. We would go with whatever he decides,” Mr Shinde had told reporters. He also said he was not “not greedy for any position” and ‘no one is upset”.
Earlier today, sources had said hat the Chief Minister would be from the BJP, who would have two deputies.
The other hiccup in the naming of Mr Fadnavis for the top post is caste dynamics as an overwhelming number of the 288 MLAs are from the Maratha community. Mr Fadnavis belongs to the Brahmin community, which had caused a backlash of sorts in 2014 as well.
Sources said Mr Shah had consulted senior party leader Vinod Tawde on the matter.
Earlier, during the community’s agitation for reservation, Maratha leader Manoj Jarange-Patil had called Mr Fadnavis a “Maratha-hater”.
The BJP, it appears, wants to iron out all doubts before making a formal announcement.
The other question is where Mr Shinde will be accommodated in case Mr Fadnavis is named for the top post. The options include Maharashtra as his deputy or the Centre. Sena sources, though earlier said he would be part of the cabinet in Maharashtra.
Today’s discussions will also encompass the shape of the cabinet, sources said. While the maximum number of ministers the state can have is 42, the division could be 22 ministries for the BJP, 12 for the Sena and 10 for Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party, sources said, indicating that the BJP is also bargaining for the key portfolios, including home.
The arrangement mirrors the seat sharing deal and the pattern of the victory, where the BJP contested the maximum and won 132 seats, establishing its claim for the top post.
