As suspense over who will become the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra continues, Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Sunday backed his party's chief, Ajit Pawar, for the top post.
Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar, however, has said his party legislators feel Eknath Shinde should continue as the chief minister of the state, where the ruling Mahayuti scored a landslide victory in the assembly polls.
Kesarkar met Shinde at the latter's residence in Mumbai on Sunday, a day after the Mahayuti coalition, of which Shiv Sena is a constituent, retained power by winning 230 of the 288 assembly seats in the state, leaving the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi with just 46 seats.
"Shiv Sena MLAs feel Shinde should continue in the post because under his leadership the Mahayuti worked very well and performed spectacularly in polls," Kesarkar told reporters.
He, however, added that Shinde and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Ajit Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party) will take a unanimous decision on the CM issue.
"Whatever may be the decision, it will be in the interest of Maharashtra," said Kesarkar, who won another term from the Sawantwadi constituency.
Bhujbal also said that 'all the three parties will sit together and decide who will be our leader'.
However, he also said, "Ajit Pawar can also become the CM, his strike rate is very good."
"Today all our MLAs came to the meeting, many council members also came, and everyone has decided that Ajit Pawar will lead us in the Vidhan Sabha. But who will be the CM, we three parties will decide together," he added.
Earlier on Sunday, NCP president Deepak Mankar said that the party workers are in favour of making 'dada' (Ajit Pawar) the chief minister of the state.
"The workers of NCP wish that if 'dada' (Ajit Pawar), then Maharashtra will get a good direction. Dada has the capacity to do work...we know the kind of work he did in Maharashtra as deputy CM in the last 2.5 years...let's see...Mahayuti is taking everyone along," Mankar told ANI.
Speculation regarding the chief minister's post started doing rounds after the BJP led by Fadnavis won the highest 132 out of 288 seats in the state elections.
The Shiv Sena led by Shinde bagged 57 seats.
Fadnavis on Saturday denied any dispute over the chief minister's post, saying leaders of the Mahayuti will decide on the issue together.
State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday echoed Fadnavis.
"Leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the BJP leadership will decide who will be the next chief minister of the state," he said.
On Sunday night, Shinde was elected as the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party.
The resolution to this effect was unanimously passed by all 57 MLA-designates at a meeting held at a suburban hotel.
Three more resolutions were also passed, including hailing Shinde for leading the party to a spectacular victory, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their support and the people of Maharashtra for reposing faith in the Mahayuti alliance.
*****
5-6 MLAs of MVA might cross over to Mahayuti: NCP chief whip
Nationalist Congress Party's chief whip Anil Patil has claimed there is unrest in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) camp and its five to six MLAs might cross over to the ruling Mahayuti in the next four months.
The MVA, comprising the Congress, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar and Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray led by former CM Uddhav Thackeray, suffered a crushing blow in the just concluded Maharashtra assembly polls, winning only 46 of the state's 288 seats.
In contrast, the BJP-led ruling coalition, which also has Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP as partners, bagged an impressive 230 seats.
"There is tremendous unrest among some NCP-SP, Congress and Sena-UBT MLAs who have been re-elected. Those having good relations with us have expressed concerns over MVA's massive defeat," Patil told Marathi news channel ABP Majha on Sunday.
If one wants development works in his constituency, it is good to be in power, said the legislator from Ajit Pawar's party.
"The MVA MLAs feel their future is uncertain. It shouldn't be a surprise if five to six MLAs cross over to the Mahayuti in the next four months," he said.
-- with ANI inputs
