Eknath Shinde chairs hybrid meeting for Ambedkar death anniversary preparations

Maharashtra's caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde held a meeting with relevant officials to review the preparations for the event at Chaityabhoomi on December 6, marking the death anniversary of Dr. BR Ambedkar.

The meeting, conducted in hybrid mode, was attended by BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, State Minister Deepak Kesarkar, Chief Secretary Sujata Sounik, and others.

Earlier today, Eknath Shinde was taken to a hospital in Thane after his health showed no signs of improvement. Doctors have recommended a full examination of his condition. Shinde has been dealing with a throat infection and fever since last week.

Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the swearing-in of the Mahayuti government on December 5. BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule had announced on November 30 that the oath-taking ceremony would take place at 5 pm at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the event.

Senior BJP leader Girish Mahajan met Eknath Shinde on Monday to discuss the preparations for the swearing-in ceremony. He also emphasized that there is no conflict among the leaders of the Mahayuti alliance regarding government formation. "I came here to meet Eknath Shinde, who has not been well for the past few days. There is no displeasure. We sat together for an hour and had a conversation. He also discussed preparations for December 5, and I shared some thoughts as well. We have a lot of work to do for the people of the state, and we are going to work together for them," he said.

On Thursday evening, Shinde, along with Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, and other Mahayuti leaders, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda in Delhi to discuss government formation. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as central observers to oversee the election of Maharashtra's chief minister and the leader of the BJP legislative party.

Eknath Shinde had mentioned on Sunday that he would support the BJP's decision for the role of Chief Minister. The results of the Maharashtra assembly elections, announced on November 23, saw the Mahayuti alliance—comprising BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP—secure a decisive victory.

With inputs from ANI