Maharashtra CM To Be Decided By BJP; Will Have My Support: Shinde

Eknath Shinde said BJP will decide on the state's new CM who will have his full support.

Mumbai:Maharashtra's caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the BJP will decide on the state's new CM who will have his full support, and asserted there were no differences among Mahayuti partners on government formation. Talking to reporters at his native Dare village in Satara district, Shinde also said talks were underway on government formation and all decisions will be taken through a consensus by the three Mahayuti allies - Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP.

Shinde also said he comes to his village regularly and wondered why should there be any confusion (over his visit) when he cleared his stand on the CM's post last week. The Shiv Sena leader, who headed to his native village on Friday amid speculation that he was not happy with the way the new government was shaping up, had taken ill and will return to Mumbai on Sunday evening, an aide said earlier in the day.

The Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP retained power with a landslide victory in the assembly elections, the results of which were announced on November 23. The oath-taking ceremony of the new Mahayuti government will take place on December 5 evening at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend it, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Saturday.

While there was no announcement yet on who would be the chief minister, BJP sources said Devendra Fadnavis, who has been chief minister twice and was deputy CM in the last Eknath Shinde-led government, was the frontrunner for the post. Shinde last week said the Shiv Sena would support the decisions of PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to name the next Maharashtra CM.

Talking to reporters on Sunday, Shinde said, "I always come to my village. Why should there be any confusion when I have already made my stand clear last week. I have already said the decision on CM's post taken by the BJP leadership will be acceptable to me and Shiv Sena and will have my full backing."

To a query on his health, the Shiv Sena leader said he was fine now and had come to his native village to rest. "We will provide a government that people want. Our responsibility has now grown because of the massive mandate given by people as reciprocation of our work in the last two-and-a-half years," he said .

On speculation that his son and Lok Sabha member Shrikant Shinde will be the CM, Shinde said talks were on. "One meeting took place in Delhi last week with (Union minister) Amit Shah and now we three alliance partners will discuss the nitty-gritty of government formation," he said.

"The BJP is yet to announce its legislature party leader. We will fulfil people's aspirations. There are no differences amongst us. We will take a decision in the interest of the people. There is no need to repeat my stand," Shinde added.