Maharashtra caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said that Shiv Sena will back any chief minister picked by BJP's central leadership. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for backing him. "Amit Shah and PM Modi have fulfilled the dream of Balasaheb Thackeray to make a common Shiv Sainik, the CM. They have always stood with me," he said in a press briefing.
Shinde also said that he spoke to PM Modi and told him that "there is no obstruction from our end in forming the government (in Maharashtra)". "You make a decision. BJP's decision is the final. Who is the leader of NDA? PM Modi and HM Amit Shah. So, I called up both of them that there is no problem from our end in forming the government in Maharashtra. You make a decision and we will accept the decision. Whatever decision is made by the senior leaders of the BJP regarding the CM post, their candidate will be fully supported by Shiv Sena," he said.
"For the past 2-4 days you must have seen rumours that someone is miffed. We are not people who get miffed," the chief minister said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to return as the next chief minister. He has the backing of NCP's Ajit Pawar and RSS. Ramdas Athawale, a key BJP ally, has also backed Fadnavis. He has suggested that Shinde should shift to the Centre as a Union Minister.
Athawale backed Fadnavis as the next chief minister, contending that the saffron party won the maximum number of seats in the 288-member Assembly and should have the right to the top executive post in the state. He said a peculiar situation has arisen in Maharashtra where BJP leaders want Fadnavis as the chief minister, while Shiv Sena leaders want Shinde to continue in the post, citing the good work he has done over the last two and a half years.
Athawale also said Shinde could become the deputy chief minister or shift to the Centre and join the government led by Prime Minister Modi.
The Mahayuti won a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections winning 235 seats in the 288-member House. The BJP won 132 seats, followed by Shinde-led Shiv Sena (57) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP (41). Smaller parties, who are part of the alliance, won five seats.