Devendra Fadnavis, seen as the front-runner in the race for the top job in Maharashtra, came to Delhi last evening, sparking anticipation about a meeting with the Central leadership to resolve the Chief Ministership issue. But he doused expectation saying no meeting on the matter has been planned and he is in the national capital to attend the wedding of the daughter of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Two days after the Maharashtra assembly election results were declared, there has been no announcement about the big question of who would be the next Chief Minister of the state.
While Mr Fadnavis has been seen as the front-runner for the post, ally Shiv Sena is keen that its chief Eknath Shinde continues in the top job. Off the records, leaders say that he deserves the job since it is his government's welfare projects that helped the ruling alliance reach a sweeping victory.
Shiv Sena spokesperson Naresh Mhaske cited the "Bihar model" to assert that Mr Shinde should continue as the chief minister. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar has continued as the Chief Minister despite the BJP's better performance in the last assembly election.
"We feel Mr 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," he was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.
At the Sena MLAs' meeting, slogans were raised in demand of Mr Shinde as the Chief Minister.
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, sources said, may support Mr Fadnavis for the top post, tilting the scales in favour of the BJP.
Since the results were declared, leaders of all three parties in the ruling alliance have said they would sit down together and take a call on the issue. Mr Fadnavis had even lightened the mood at a post-election press conference, saying they will consult all allies including Ramdas Athawale, the chief of Republican Party of India-Athawale which contested one seat under the BJP flag and lost.
Led by Mr Fadnavis, the BJP won the highest ever 132 seats for the party, while the Shiv Sena faction led by Mr Shinde bagged 57 seats. Ajit Pawar's faction of the Nationalist Congress Party won 41 seats, taking the ruling alliance Mahayuti score to a whopping 230 of the state's 288 seats.
