Mumbai:

Eknath Shinde, the outgoing Maharashtra Chief Minister, was taken to a Thane’s Jupiter Hospital Tuesday afternoon after doctors recommended a “full examination” of his health and medical status.

Mr Shinde – at the centre of a tug-of-war in the Maharashtra chief ministerial race – may be admitted, but sources played down talk of an emergency, explaining this is a “routine check-up”.

Mr Shinde himself spoke to reporters outside the hospital and said, “My health is fine.”

Amid deliberations between his outfit and the Bharatiya Janta Party – which is the single-largest in the Assembly and in pole position to name the next Chief Minister – Mr Shinde has been stationed in Thane since returning from a 48-hour visit last week to his hometown in Satara district.

Meanwhile – although the identity of the next Maharashtra Chief Minister remains an unknown and the three-party Mahayuti alliance that won the election hasn’t yet formally staked claim to government formation – preparations are underway for a grand oath-taking event on Thursday.

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Multiple sources told NDTV last week the BJP is expected to win the internal race; the party has 132 of the Maharashtra Assembly’s 288 seats while the Shinde Sena has 57 and Ajit Pawar’s NCP 41.

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Any leverage Mr Shinde may have had in 2022 – when he broke Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena ranks and allied with the BJP, directly ensuring the saffron party could form the government – is now absent.

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And Ajit Pawar has backed the BJP’s chief ministerial bid, meaning a tweak of the existing formula is most likely. That is, the BJP will name a Chief Minister and the Sena and NCP one deputy each.

The BJP is scheduled to hold a meeting of its MLAs later today, at which Devendra Fadnavis, the former two-time Chief Minister and the man credited with the party’s big win, will likely be named to the top post. But the delay in confirming that speculation means rumour mills continue to spin.

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Mr Shinde has said publicly, twice, that he will not be an “obstacle” and that he has left the decision on who will be Chief Minister to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But repeated absences from Mumbai in the run-up to the big day, and the two-day retreat to Satara, have raised eyebrows.

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Maharashtra caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Eknath Shinde, the caretaker Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has been suffering from fever and a throat infection for the past two days, his family doctor said, adding that he is now recovering.

The doctor mentioned that a team of three to four doctors is treating Eknath Shinde in his native village in Satara district, Maharashtra.

R.M. Patre, Mr. Shinde’s family doctor, told ANI, “He is doing fine now. He has been experiencing fever, body pain, throat infection, and cold for the past two days. We have administered antibiotics. A team of three to four doctors is attending to him.”

Eknath Shinde travelled to his native village in Satara district on Friday (November 29, 2024).

Meanwhile, amid suspense over the announcement of the Chief Ministerial candidate in Maharashtra, BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced on Saturday that the oath-taking ceremony of the Mahayuti government will take place on December 5.

The ceremony is scheduled to be held at 5 p.m. at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Mr. Bawankule added that the event will be conducted in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a post on X, Mr. Bawankule wrote, “The oath-taking ceremony of the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra will be held in the presence of the pride of the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 5 PM at Azad Maidan, Mumbai.”

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat revealed that caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is expected to make a significant decision by Sunday.

When asked about the allocation of ministries to allies, Mr. Shirsat said that everything would be clarified by Monday evening.

“In my opinion, whenever Eknath Shinde feels the need for time to reflect, he goes to his native village. By tomorrow evening, he will make a major decision. It could be a political decision… Everything will be clear by Monday evening. The oath-taking ceremony should take place before December 5, as we are preparing accordingly,” Mr. Shirsat told ANI.

Earlier, on Thursday night, Maharashtra’s caretaker CM Eknath Shinde, along with Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Ajit Pawar, and other Mahayuti leaders, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J.P. Nadda in the national capital.

The Maharashtra Assembly election results, declared on November 23, saw the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance return to power with a landslide majority.

The ruling alliance has yet to finalise its Chief Ministerial candidate.

The BJP emerged as the largest party, winning 132 seats in the 280-member Maharashtra Assembly, while its allies — the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, and the NCP, led by Ajit Pawar — secured 57 and 41 seats, respectively.