The people of Maharashtra gave a massive majority to the BJP-led Mahayuti and with this, it got the power to form the government in the state which holds a crucial position in Indian politics. The 2024 Maharashtra election results were announced on Saturday (November 23) and since then it has been four days and the alliance is still in a stalemate over who would be the next chief minister.
Mahayuti is an alliance of three parties – BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by Ajit Pawar. Soon after the poll results were declared, BJP and Sena got embroiled in a power tussle, wanting their candidate to be named as the next Maharashtra CM.
BJP, which has garnered maximum votes among the other parties in the alliance, wants Devendra Fadnavis to head the government in Maharashtra, while Shiv Sena (Shinde) has been adamant about Eknath Shinde’s name for the post.
In the recently held Maharashtra elections, BJP bagged 132 out of the 149 seats it contested, while Shiv Sena (Shinde) secured a win on 57 of the 80 seats contested.
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP won 41 of the 59 seats it fielded its candidates on.
In total, Mahayuti registered the best electoral performance by any pre-poll alliance in the last five decades with BJP securing a win on most seats.
Tuesday, November 26, was the deadline for the formation of the new government in Maharashtra, but neither Shiv Sena (Shinde) nor BJP have budged on their CM post demand.
As per protocol, Shinde, who was the CM of Maharashtra, submitted his resignation before Governor CP Radhakrishnan. He was accompanied by Fadnavis and Pawar, the two of his deputies, who also resigned from their posts.
The Maharashtra Governor asked Shinde to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government takes charge.
However, the stretching delay in the announcement of the next Chief Minister by the Mahayuti is gradually starting to eclipse the resounding victory registered by the alliance and is also raising concerns over whether the NDA would head the same way it did in 2019 when the BJP-Shiv Sena (undivided) failed to form a government despite winning a majority in the Assembly.
Though it is still not clear as to what is happening among the alliance members behind the doors, the BJP and Shiv Sena have been sticking to the claim that there is no dispute on the question of leadership and alliance will form a government without much ado.
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As per reports, BJP is said to be miffed over the Shiv Sena’s insistence on continuing Shinde as the Chief Minister. After the results were announced, the BJP had claimed on record that there was no pre-poll arrangement with the Sena regarding Shinde’s continuation as CM.
The top leadership of BJP have reportedly maintained all through the elections that a decision on the CM would depend on the election results and the individual performance of each party in the alliance.
Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla dismissed a suggestion by Shiv Sena’s Naresh Mhaske, who cited the Bihar model to pitch for Shinde’s continuation as CM, saying that in Bihar, the BJP had committed to making Nitish the CM ahead of elections and honoured it.
“In Maharashtra, there is no reason for such a commitment as we have a stronger organisational base and leadership. Above all, the party never gave any commitment of continuing with Shinde as CM after the elections,” a report by The Indian Express quoted Shukla as saying.
Meanwhile, the NCP as well as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have been supporting Fadnavis’ candidature as the new Maharashtra chief minister.
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Maharashtra CM stalemate continues as Sena backs Shinde 2.0, BJP wants Fadnavis back
