Eknath Shinde cancels key meetings, heads to his village amid Maharashtra CM suspense

By Gargi Chaudhry | First Published Nov 29, 2024, 2:29 PM IST

Caretaker CM Eknath Shinde's sudden departure to his village postponed crucial Mahayuti alliance meeting on portfolio distribution. Discussions with Amit Shah in Delhi were described as "good and positive," but the chief minister position remains undecided.

There is still uncertainty surrounding the formation of the new Maharashtra government because caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde abruptly left for his Satara district village on Friday, postponing talks on portfolio distribution and forcing the cancellation of a crucial Mahayuti alliance meeting. Shinde, along with BJP's Devendra Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, returned to Mumbai on Friday morning after huddling with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda in Delhi. After the BJP-led coalition won a landslide victory in the most recent Maharashtra assembly elections, they negotiated a power-sharing agreement.

'Good and positive' meet with Amit Shah: Eknath Shinde

Shinde characterized the conversations as "good and positive" following the meeting with Amit Shah. According to him, the Mahayuti alliance would meet again in the state capital to decide on the new chief minister of Maharashtra. He also assured reporters that he would not stand in the way of the state's administration being formed and would follow the ruling made by Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Speaking to reporters in New Delhi before leaving for Mumbai, Shinde said the decision on the next chief minister of Maharashtra will be taken "in a day or two" in another meeting of the Mahayuti coalition in the state capital. "We will take a decision (on Maharashtra CM) in a day or two. We have held discussions, and the discussions will continue. You will get to know when we take a final decision," the outgoing chief minister said.

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 results

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance scripted a landslide victory in the recent state assembly elections by winning 230 seats in the 288-member House. The BJP bagged 132 Assembly seats, while Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP won 57 and 41 seats respectively.

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