In the midst of the uncertainty surrounding the next chief minister of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde declared on Wednesday that he would support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s choice of the Mahayuti alliance.
During a press conference in Mumbai, Eknath Shinde referred to Prime Minister Modi as the family’s leader. According to him, the BJP leadership shouldn’t view him as a barrier to the formation of a government.
Eknath Shinde said, “I have told the Prime Minister that if there is any problem in forming the government in Maharashtra because of me, then do not bring any doubt in your mind and whatever decision you take, that decision is acceptable to me. You are the head of our family. I told PM Modi, and Amit Shah, that they should not look at me as an obstacle. I will stand by any decision that is taken by them”. He added that his party will back the BJP leadership’s choice about the coveted position.
He claimed that on Tuesday, he informed Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi that Shiv Sena and he would be bound by their decision. Further he added, he had never thought of himself as the chief minister and had operated as an ordinary man. Shinde stated, “I had always decided that when I am in a position of power, I will give it back to the public…Because I came from a poor family, I could understand the pain and hardships of the people of the state. As a CM, I tried to take forward the ideals of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and PM Modi. I am very satisfied with all the work I have done in the last 2.5 years. I am not the kind who gets upset, we are the kind of people who fight, fight for the people. All the work I do, I will do for the people of Maharashtra. What is important is not what I get, but what the people of the state get”.
Later today, Eknath Shinde is anticipated to depart for Delhi. PM Modi and Shah are also scheduled to meet with the Mahayuti allies.
Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the head of the Maharashtra BJP, praised Eknath Shinde for his position as chief minister. He stated, “He has consistently shown respect for and compliance with our central leadership. He complied with all directives from the BJP’s central leadership. He has behaved in the manner of a true Mahayuti leader. We commend and thank him for it”.
Shinde’s press conference coincided with reports of heated discussions about who would hold Maharashtra’s top political position inside the Mahayuti alliance.
Both Eknath Shinde and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis were vying for the post.
The BJP-led NDA’s arrangement in Bihar, where Nitish Kumar is the chief minister despite being the coalition’s small partner, was cited by the Shiv Sena as justification for it. But according to the BJP, Maharashtra would not be able to use the Bihar model.
“The announcement to make Nitish Kumar CM was made before the election. In Maharashtra, there was no such commitment made to the Shiv Sena…Hence there is no question of replicating the same in Maharashtra,” BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla told to a media publication.
In the 2024 Maharashtra assembly election, 230 of 288 seats were won by the Mahayuti coalition. Since the BJP won the most seats (132), Fadnavis is the front-runner to become chief minister.
In 2022, Eknath Shinde joined the BJP and manipulated a vertical split within the Shiv Sena to become the chief minister of Maharashtra. He resigned yesterday.
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