(MENAFN- Live Mint) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde resigned and was asked by the Governor to serve as caretaker CM for the time being. Deputy CMs Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis also reached the Governor's office this morning to tender their resignation.
After a decisive Mahayuti alliance win and the Bharatiya Janata Party emerging as the largest party by winning over 132 seats, the alliance is yet to decide on a Chief Minister to lead the government.
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Earlier, BJP leader and former Maharashtra Assembly speaker Rahul Narvekar said that when CM Shinde resigns, he will be appointed as the caretaker CM till the new government is formed.
“Today the term of the assembly is ending. If he (CM Shinde) resigns today, he will be requested to work as a caretaker CM till a new government is formed. The leaders of the three parties, our parliamentary board, will decide on this (CM) matter. And soon the government will be formed in Maharashtra,” Narvekar told ANI.
Despite the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance securing a decisive victory with 230 seats in the 288-member assembly, the ruling coalition has yet to reach a consensus on who should be the next CM.
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Amid ongoing uncertainty over the Mahayuti alliance's choice for Maharashtra's next chief minister, a leader from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has asserted that the Maratha community wants him to remain in the top post. Shiv Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre told reporters on Tuesday that it would be preferable for Shinde to continue as chief minister, especially with the upcoming local body elections in the state.
"Shinde successfully provided ten per cent reservation to the Maratha community (under the economically and socially backward category) and helped the community through the Annasaheb Patil and Sarathi corporations," she said, claiming that the community, hence, stood behind the Mahayuti in the elections. "The demand that the chief minister should be from the Maratha community is gaining strength," she added.
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The BJP, led by Fadnavis, won the highest-ever 132 seats for the party, while the Shiv Sena, led by Shinde, bagged 57 seats.
Earlier, Shiv Sena spokesperson Naresh Mhaske cited the Bihar model to assert that Shinde should continue as the chief minister. "We feel Shinde should be the chief minister, just like in Bihar where BJP did not look at the numbers but still made JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar the CM. Senior leaders of the Mahayuti (in Maharashtra) will ultimately take a decision," Mhaske told reporters on Monday, as reported by PTI.
BJP leader and former Union minister Raosaheb Danve said that the final decision would be communicated to the central leadership after the party's internal discussions, reported PTI.
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Fadnavis on Saturday denied any dispute over the CM's post, saying leaders of the Mahayuti will decide on the issue together. Meanwhile, a legislature official dismissed reports that the President's Rule may come into force if a new government is not in place by November 26, when the tenure of the 14th state assembly ends.
In fact, with the officials of the Election Commission of India submitting copies of the gazette with names of the newly-elected members of the state legislative assembly to Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan on Sunday, the 15th assembly is already in place, an official told PTI.
As per Section 73 of the Representation of the People Act about the publication of results of the state assembly,“after submission of the notification of the names of the members elected, it shall be deemed that the House has been duly constituted,” the official said.
Shinde, hailing from the politically influential Maratha community in western Maharashtra's Satara district, is facing competition from BJP leader and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, a Brahmin from Nagpur, who is considered a frontrunner for the CM post following the BJP's impressive electoral performance.
(This is a developing story)
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