Next Maharashtra Chief Minister to be revealed today, BJP holds key meet

The crucial BJP legislature party meeting comes ahead of the swearing in of a new Mahayuti government in Maharashtra on Thursday, with the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis likely to take over as Chief Minister.

In Short

• BJP appoints Nirmala Sitharaman, Vijay Rupani as central observers for today's meeting
• Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar to meet Governor later
• Swearing in ceremony tomorrow at Mumbai's Azad Maidan ground

A crucial BJP legislature party meeting in Mumbai is currently underway as the impasse over a new Chief Minister in Maharashtra is expected to end today.

The party appointed Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani as central observers of the meeting that began at 10 am, which comes a day before the swearing in of a new Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, with the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis likely to take over as Chief Minister's post.

After the meeting, Fadnavis, caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar will meet Governor CP Radhakrishnan and stake claim to form the Mahayuti 2.0 government.

On Tuesday evening, Fadnavis visited Shinde at his home in Mumbai, marking the first in-person meeting between the two since their discussions in Delhi last week about government formation. According to sources, the Shiv Sena chief has agreed to serve as Deputy Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, preparations for the swearing in ceremony are in full swing in Mumbai's Azad Maidan, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, some 2,000 VVIPs, and about 40,000 supporters.

On November 23, the Mahayuti swept the state polls by winning a whopping 230 of 288 Assembly seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 132 seats, its highest-ever tally, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP got 57 and 41, respectively.

1. Nirmala Sitharaman and Vijay Rupani have already reached Mumbai for the meeting scheduled to take place at the Vidhan Bhavan. During the meeting with the Maharashtra Governor later in the day, the Mahayuti leaders will hand over a letter of MLAs supporting them to stake claim to form the government.
2. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday night, Vijay Rupani said the name of the legislature party leader would be finalised after talks with the party's newly-elected MLAs. "The government will be formed. Discussions with the elected MLAs will take place. One name will be finalised, and it will be announced later. The legislature party leader will take oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. If there is unanimity, then only one proposal (name) will be put forward," he said.
3. Mumbai Police have issued a traffic advisory for tomorrow's swearing in at the Azad Maidan. The order will come into force on Thursday noon and will remain until the ceremony ends in the evening. Since there is no parking on the ground's premises, attendees have been asked to use public transportation.
4. Devendra Fadnavis, seen as the frontrunner for the top post, and Eknath Shinde's meeting at the latter's residence 'Varsha' in Mumbai lasted for an hour on Tuesday evening. Details regarding their talks remain unclear.
5. Earlier on Tuesday, Shinde, who had been staying at his Thane residence for the last few days, visited a city-based private hospital and underwent tests for a persistent throat infection and fever. Asked about his health after emerging from the hospital, Shinde said "badhiya hai (I'm fine)".
6. The Shiv Sena leader has been unwell for the last few days. His decision to head to his village in Satara district on November 29 sparked speculation that he was reportedly unhappy about accepting the role of a Deputy Chief Minister under Fadnavis.

7. The allocation of cabinet positions and portfolios among the Mahayuti parties is expected after the swearing in ceremony tomorrow. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat stated that all is well in the Mahayuti coalition and the swearing-in ceremony will go ahead as planned.

   "The three leaders have sat and talked. There is no confusion," he added.

8. According to sources, the BJP is likely to get 21–22 ministries, and also expected to retain the Speaker and Legislative Council Chairman positions. The Shiv Sena is expected to settle for 12 ministries and is vying for the Legislative Council Chairman position, while already holding the Deputy Chairman post. The NCP is expected to receive 9-10 ministries.
9. As the deadlock continued, NCP's Ajit Pawar flew to Delhi on Monday to meet with top BJP leadership, while Shinde cancelled all his meetings as he was unwell.
10. This will be Devendra Fadnavis's third stint as Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He served in the top post from October 2014 to Novermber 2019. His second stint lasted only five days from November 23 to 28, 2019.