Maha Deputy CM Shinde Welcomes Thackeray’s ‘Return To Hindutva’
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has welcomed his former leader Uddhav Thackeray's "radical change" in the form of his supposed 'return to Hindutva', on Wednesday.
More than 10 days after the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a landslide victory, Devendra Fadnavis is set to be sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The grand swearing-in ceremony will take place at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Thursday.
The event will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, and other prominent leaders of the saffron party.
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Alongside Fadnavis, two deputy chief ministers will also take the oath of office. While Ajit Pawar has been confirmed as one of the deputies, the identity of the second deputy CM remains unclear.
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Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, currently serving as caretaker Chief Minister, has reportedly been offered the position of deputy CM.
During a joint press conference held yesterday after staking claim to form the government, the three leaders of the Mahayuti alliance—Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar—addressed the media together.
At the press conference, it was confirmed that Fadnavis would take the oath as CM, accompanied by two deputies. Ajit Pawar explicitly stated that he would be one of the deputy chief ministers, but Shinde remained non-committal about his role.
Speculations have also emerged regarding Shinde’s son being considered for the deputy CM position, but no confirmation has been made.
While it is now certain that the Shiv Sena will be part of the new Maharashtra government, the distribution of ministries among the three coalition partners is yet to be finalised. For now, only the Chief Minister and his two deputies will be sworn in during today’s ceremony.
The Maharashtra Cabinet can accommodate 43 members, including the Chief Minister. The BJP, with 132 MLAs, is expected to retain the largest share of ministries, followed by the Shiv Sena (57 MLAs) and the NCP (42 MLAs).
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