Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said in a recent interview that he convinced Eknath Shinde to take up the Deputy CM post. Fadnavis debunked media reports suggesting any talks of Shinde sulking at the prospects of being the Deputy CM.
Fadnavis said in an exclusive interview with India Today that he and Shinde share a personal relationship due to which the latter sought his advice on what to do when the Mahayuti negotiations were going on.
So what transpired behind the scenes and how did Fadnavis convince Shinde to take up Deputy CMship? In his own words, "Shindeji asked me what should I do. I told him that you should accept the post. Because when I became the Deputy CM, I had many doubts in my mind as to how should I take it."
He mentioned that he told Shinde that he was the Chief Minister for 5 years from 2014-19 but took Deputy CMship after the BJP high command told him to do so.
Furthermore, he mentioned that it was in fact Eknath Shinde who backed him for the top job in the state.
Commenting on the Shiv Sena's pitch for Shinde as CM before the oath-taking ceremony finally took place, he said that party leaders have an expectation that their leader will get the top job, because of which they end up speaking out.
"Sometimes, there are some politicians in the party who feel that if they don't speak out about their own leader, then, how will they be able to increase their position in front of their own leader? There are many factors."
He further said that Shinde deserves credit for the welfare and developmental schemes under Mahayuti 1.0, including the flagship Ladki Bahin scheme. Fadnavis further mentioned that benefitting from a pro-incumbency sentiment, the Mahayuti secured a decisive mandate.
The Maharashtra CM added that the 'Ek Hain toh Safe Hain' clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a key contributor in Mahayuti's resounding victory.
Further decoding the election results, Fadnavis mentioned Hindus voted en bloc this time around, leading to a 5 per cent surge in voter turnout. He noted that the Hindu population in the state felt that some mistakes were made during the Lok Sabha election and it could be compensated for.
(With inputs from Sahil Joshi, Anjana Om Kashyap)