Maharashtra CM Suspense: Key Mahayuti Meet on Sunday, Oath-Taking Likely on December 5

Mumbai: The oath-taking ceremony of the new Maharashtra  Chief Minister is likely to be held on December 5, according to sources. As the suspense over new CM face continues, Devendra Fadnavis has emerged as the frontrunner to become the next chief minister.

In the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections, the Mahayuti coalition of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde -led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), registered a landslide victory by winning 230 seats in the 288-member House. 

However, even after the declaration of poll results on November 23, final decision on who will be the chief minister has not been made public yet. Earlire on Thursday, Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar met BJP president J P Nadda and Union minister Amit Shah late to thrash out a power-sharing pact for the next government in Maharashtra.

Further, a key Mahayuti meeting scheduled on Friday was put off and likely to take place on Sunday now as caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde headed to his native village in Satara district, delaying government formation.

But there is no word yet on when the BJP legislature party will meet to elect its new leader.

Shinde has made it clear that he will fully support BJP leadership’s decision to name the next CM, and that he won't be a hurdle in the process, while Ajit Pawar-led NCP has backed Fadnavis for the chief minister's post. 

How Vote Share Stands After Mahayuti’s Landslide Victory

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance registered a resounding victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, securing 229 out of 288 seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party, bagging 132 seats of the 149 seats it contested, securing a vote share of 26.77%. This is a step up from the 2019 Assembly elections, where the BJP had secured 105 seats and a 25.75% vote share. Its ally, the Shiv Sena ( Eknath Shinde faction), added a significant 12.38% vote share, further strengthening the coalition’s hold over the state. While Shinde-led Sena bagged 57 seats, the NCP won 41 seats to take the Mahayuti total to 230 seats.

This victory positions the BJP as the undisputed leader in Maharashtra politics, dominating both in terms of vote share and seat tally.

The Mahayuti alliance comprises the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), BJP and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. The MVA retained power by winning 230 of the 288 assembly seats in the just-concluded state polls, leaving the Aghadi with just 46 seats.

Meanwhile, the term of the current state assembly ended on Wednesday, November 26. Amid the talks of Fadnavis becoming the CM for the third time, many Sena leaders have demanded that Shinde should continue as the CM as the landslide win was under his leadership.

If elected for the top post, Fadnavis will become the CM for third term after serving as the top leader in 2014 and 2019.

Post 2014 elections, Fadnavis had completed a full five-year term while in coalition with the then-undivided Shiv Sena.

After the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP, under Fadnavis, briefly formed a government with Ajit Pawar, who was sworn in as deputy chief minister. However, the government lasted only for 80 hours, as Ajit Pawar pulled out again to be with his uncle, Sharad Pawar , the current NCP (SP) chief.

For the first time in six decades, there will be no leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly due to the inadequate number of MLAs in the opposition camp.

As per norms, a single party, and not a coalition, should have at least 10 per cent of the total strength of the 288-member House to stake claim to the House opposition leader’s post, an official said.

The maximum permissible limit for the Council of Ministers in Maharashtra is 43, including the CM. The BJP, which has 132 MLAs, is likely to keep almost half the ministerial berths for itself, as per sources.

(With PTI inputs)