Maharashtra CM News: Fadnavis stakes claim to form new govt ahead of oath-taking tomorrow; Shinde, Pawar accompany him

Maharashtra CM News: Mahayuti leaders – Shiv Sena chief and caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP chief A,jit Pawar – have staked claim to form the Maharashtra government. The leaders met Maharashtra Governor, CP Radhakrishnan on Wednesday afternoon. 

Party's Central Observers – Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani – were also present at the Raj Bhavan.

Fadnavis will take oath as CM of Maharashtra at an event in Mumbai's Azad Maidan tomorrow, December 5.

“Eknath Shinde, in his capacity as President of Shiv Sena and head of Shiv Sena's Legislature Party, has written a letter recommending my name for the post of Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Along with this, Nationalist Congress Party President and Legislature Party leader Ajit Dada Pawar has also given a similar letter. Independent MLAs who are with us have all submitted a letter to the Governor,” Fadnavis said.

Earlier in the day, Fadnavis' name was cleared for the CM post at the BJP core committee meeting held in Mumbai. He was also unanimously elected as the Leader of the Maharashtra BJP Legislative Party.

The announcement ends days of speculation on who the next chief minister of Maharashtra will be.

The Assembly Elections in Maharashtra were held on November 20, and the results were announced on November 23. The Mahayuti alliance won 230 seats. Apart from BJP's 132 seats, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 57 seats, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP won 41 seats.

Since then, there has been speculation about who will be the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra — Eknath Shinde or Devendra Fadnavis. What fueled the rumours of a possible stalemate was Shinde’s sudden ‘ill health’ and subsequent decision to head to his native village soon after meeting with top BJP leadership in Delhi last week.

Shinde reportedly agreed to serve as Deputy Chief Minister in the next Mahayuti government on December 3. Fadnavis visited Shinde on Tuesday evening at his official residence, Varsha, in south Mumbai.