Even after the BJP-backed Mahayuti’s top leaders from Maharashtra namely Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, returned after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday evening in Delhi, there was no relief from the long suspense about who will be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, as late as Friday evening.

Amazingly, though the name of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is still under wraps, sources indicated that the oath-taking ceremony for the Maharashtra government is likely to take place on Tuesday, December 5 at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while others said that it might get delayed further.

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Meanwhile, rather inexplicably and mysteriously, a meeting of the Mahayuti in Mumbai to iron out details was abruptly cancelled, along with another scheduled meeting of Shinde’s Shiv Sena.

It was announced that caretaker CM Eknath Shinde is heading to his village in Satara and all meetings would be held only after his return on Saturday.

All this has led to a bigger revival of political speculation that Shinde is “unhappy” about the formation of the Mahayuti government, especially after he also met a leader of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, before he headed to his village in Satara.

However, Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant insisted that “Eknath Shinde is not upset. He had to go to his village and he will be back tomorrow”.

Sources claimed that Shinde is not keen on a Deputy Chief Minister role. According to a Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat, “Saheb is unlikely to be a Deputy Chief Minister. It does not befit the stature of a person who has already served as chief minister of Maharashtra”.

Samant also insisted that Shinde’s Shiv Sena wants him to be a part of the Maharashtra government. “If Eknath Shinde wants someone else to be Deputy Chief Minister, then it is his nobility but we (Shinde-led Shiv Sena) think that he should be a part of the Maharashtra government,” he said.

Sources said that the BJP is likely to keep the home ministry, Ajit Pawar’s NCP may get the finance portfolio and Shinde’s Sena may get urban development and public works departments.

The BJP is likely to get 22 cabinet berths, while the Shinde-led Shiv Sena will get 12 portfolios and the NCP will get 9 portfolios respectively, according to sources.