Caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP chief Ajit Pawar will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi today to discuss the power-sharing formula for the next Mahayuti government in Maharashtra.
The meeting comes a day after Shinde conceded the race for the next chief minister by saying he and his party will support the BJP's top leadership's decision. Shinde has cleared the way for Fadnavis to succeed him.
The Mahayuti won 230 seats in the 288-member assembly elections. Of these, the BJP alone bagged 132 seats. Among other partners, Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 57 seats, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP won 41 seats.
New Govt likely to take oath on December 2
The new government is expected to take oath on December 2, but Thursday's meeting with Amit Shah assumes significance as it is expected to stamp on the exact arrangement among the allies. According to reports, an official announcement on the new chief minister is expected after the formal election of the leader of the BJP legislature party in Mumbai on Friday.
The new government is expected to repeat the structure of two deputy chief ministers under the chief minister. In the previous government, Chief Minister Shinde had two deputies, Fadnavis and Pawar.
The meeting with Shah is also expected to discuss how the 43 ministries will be distributed among the allies. Some reports suggested that the BJP, which won a record 132 seats, will get 22 berths, including the CM's. The Shinde Sena will get 12 ministries, while the NCP is expected to get nine cabinet berths in the new government.
Shinde has kind of cleared the way for Fadnavis to succeed him.
The swearing-in will be held on Monday because of the winter session of Parliament in the national capital and the DG-IG conference in Bhubaneswar from November 29 to December 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in a roadshow in Bhubaneswar on November 29.
PM Modi and other top leaders of the BJP and NDA are expected to attend the mega oath-taking on Monday.
