New Delhi: Barely three hours after Devendra Fadnavis renounced any position in the new Maharashtra government, his party said otherwise.
"He must be Deputy Chief Minister," said BJP president JP Nadda, dealing the second shocker of the day. "I will personally request him." The first jaw-dropper was the decision, announced by Mr Fadnavis, that Eknath Shinde, and not he, would be Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The morning had begun with the media reporting that Mr Fadnavis would take oath as Chief Minister with Mr Shinde as his next-in-command.
So when Mr Fadnavis, well into his press briefing, said "Eknath Shinde will be Chief Minister," it was a drastic swerving of expectations. Just to make it clear, Mr Fadnavis said, "I will not hold any post in the government. I will ensure its smooth running with full support."
Mr Fadanis has served two earlier terms as Chief Minister (the second of them just about four days long) and it was his passion project, largely, that led to Uddhav Thackeray resigning as head of the Maharashtra government last night.
With that exit, the imminent future seemed settled - Mr Shinde would fly into Mumbai from Goa, would meet the Governor with Mr Fadnavis, and then a new government would take charge. And in fact those events did take place - but with a switcharoo of the highest pedigree. Mr Shinde as boss, Mr Fadnavis as his junior.
"I will follow the orders of the party," Mr Fadnavis tweeted pointedly as he took oath. Ahead of his confirmation, another chair was added on the stage being readied for Mr Shinde to take oath. Mr Fadnavis had come around, however reluctantly.
Given his earlier status at the top boss of his home state, Mr Fadnavis may have viewed reporting to Mr Shinde as an unpalatable demotion. Sources said he was meant to announce his role as Deputy when he made the jaw-dropping announcement of Mr Shinde's promotion. His remarks to the contrary were out of character for both him and his party - differences are rarely made public. Perhaps he was inspired by his immersive experience in Mr Shinde's revolt.
Over the last nine days, he has been a principal in the drama that saw Mr Thackeray cornered by a faction of his own party and designed by Mr Shinde. Their collective departure from Mumbai last Monday, they said, was in protest against Mr Thackeray's alliance with non-BJP parties who do not share its Hindutva ideology and have forced the Sena to dilute its own brand. With growing numbers, their demand became louder for the Sena to re-unite with the BJP, with whom Mr Thackeray broke up in 2019.
Mr Fadnavis' hand in the slicing and dicing of the Shiv Sena was not covert - as the rebels sequestered themselves in three different camps, all in states held by the BJP, he was in Delhi, conferring with party bosses and shaping the party's strategy. That included the Governor asking Mr Thackeray to prove his majority. He challenged the decision in the Supreme Court which ruled against him last night. Minutes later, Mr Thackeray announced on Facebook that he was quitting as Chief Minister.
Mr Shinde has 39 of the Sena's MLAs with him. Mr Thackeray has 15. He is now struggling to withstand the claim of the rebels that they in fact form the Shiv Sena. The BJP is far larger in strength than Mr Shinde's team, but making him the Chief Minister allows the party to ensure Mr Thackeray's sway over the Sena is further diminished, and to deflect criticism that it engineered a revolt in another party for political land-grabbing.