Who Will Be Next CM Of Maharashtra? Suspense Continues

Who Will Be Next CM Of Maharashtra? Suspense Continues
The suspense over Maharashtra’s next Chief Minister continues, with the BJP maintaining its stance that Devendra Fadnavis should assume the top role.The party has made it clear that it will not follow ‘Bihar model’ in Maharashtra.
Unlike in Bihar, where the BJP backed Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar for Chief Minister despite holding more seats, the BJP in Maharashtra had made no pre-election commitment to continue Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister. BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla told Hindustan Times, “Firstly, the announcement to make Nitish Kumar CM was done before the election.
In Maharashtra, there was no such commitment made to the Shiv Sena. Secondly, we formed an alliance with Janata Dal (United) in Bihar so that the BJP could make inroads into the state, which did not happen. Hence there is no question of replicating the same in Maharashtra.”
Who Will Be Next CM Of Maharashtra? Suspense Continues
Shiv Sena spokesperson Naresh Mhaske had earlier argued for Shinde to retain the CM post, citing the Bihar example where BJP prioritized coalition dynamics over seat numbers. “We feel Shinde should be the Chief Minister, just like in Bihar where the BJP did not look at the numbers but still made JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar the Chief Minister. Senior leaders of the Mahayuti in Maharashtra will ultimately take a decision,” the Lok Sabha MP said earlier.
In the recently concluded elections, the Mahayuti coalition, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, emerged victorious, winning 230 of 288 seats. The BJP won 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and NCP with 41. In contrast, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) managed only 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) securing 20, Congress 10, and Sharad Pawar-led NCP 10.
Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde stepped down as Chief Minister on Tuesday as the Assembly’s term ended. Governor CP Radhakrishnan has asked him to continue as caretaker CM until the new government is sworn in.
The BJP has indicated that it will take its time before naming a chief ministerial candidate, prioritizing the distribution of portfolios and key posts. “The central leadership is not in a rush to announce a candidate. Our focus is on forming a strong government by finalizing ministerial portfolios and district guardian ministers,” a BJP leader told PTI.Classified documents case against Trump dismissed ending Jack Smith’s prosecution of him