Eknath Shinde, the second contender for the post of the Chief Minister in Maharashtra, today declared that he would leave the decision to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Ï have told PM Modi that I would not be an obstacle. We would go with whatever he decides,” Mr Shinde told reporters today, underscoring that “no one is upset”.
With the BJP’s massive score in the assembly election, Devendra Fadnavis was seen as front-runner for the post. But there has been no announcement since Saturday for what was expected to be an automatic and unanimous decision, owing to apparent resistance from Mr Shinde’s party.
Mr Shinde’s faction of Shiv Sena has been pitching for a second innings for its chief. Some of his leaders had openly questioned why Maharashtra cannot be another Bihar, where Nitish Kumar plays a dominant role despite better performance by the BJP in elections.
Earlier today, in a throwback to 2019, Shinde faction leaders claimed off the record that the BJP had promised them the Chief Minister post ahead of the assembly elections. Top Shiv Sena sources told NDTV Sena was promised the Chief Minister post if Mahayuti secured a majority.