Maha pact: What will BJP offer to keep Shinde on board?

Maharashtra's outgoing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday night to thrash out a power-sharing pact in the state where the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance romped home to a landslide victory in the assembly elections.

Fadnavis, a former chief minister under whose leadership the BJP crossed the 100-seat mark for the third consecutive time in the 288-member state assembly, is considered the frontrunner for the top executive post in Maharashtra.

Nationalist Congress Party chief and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said a decision on ministerial berths for the alliance partners -- BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP -- will be decided at the meeting with Shah on Thursday night.

Leaders of the alliance said a new government could be in place in Maharashtra latest by December 2.

The meeting between Fadnavis, Shah, Nadda, Pawar and Shinde lasted over one hour.

Posting pictures of the meeting on X, Fadnavis said, "Expressed my gratitude to Hon'ble Union Minister Amitbhai Shah for his huge support on the battlefield during the important Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha Elections 2024 and for the way he greatly inspired and motivated the karykartas."

"On this occasion, our BJP national president J P Nadda ji, Eknath Shinde ji, Ajitdada Pawar, Mahayuti leaders and colleagues were present too in New Delhi," he said.

Shinde had reached the national capital along with senior party leaders Uday Samant and Shambhuraj Desai. Earlier, Fadnavis held a meeting with Ajit Pawar at the residence of NCP leader Sunil Tatkare.

Outgoing Chief Minister Shinde met Shah in Delhi separately ahead of the meeting of the Mahayuti coalition. The Shiv Sena leader, who arrived from Mumbai, drove straight to Shah's Krishna Menon Marg residence, where BJP president JP Nadda was already present.

Shinde told reporters here that he would not be an obstacle in the government formation in the state and abide by the decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah. This cleared the decks for the BJP to have its nominee as the next chief minister in Maharashtra.

"This ladka bhau (beloved brother) has arrived in Delhi and the ladka bhau designation is higher than anything else for me," he said.

Political circles were abuzz about the central BJP leadership considering the social equations in Maharashtra before taking a decision on the chief minister's post. This throws open the chief ministerial race for leaders from the OBC and Maratha communities within the BJP.

Shiv Sena leaders were pitching for the continuance of Shinde as the chief minister, citing the success of the Ladki Bahin initiative and his approach of taking governance to the doorstep of the citizens.

Caste dynamics have assumed a greater role in the chief minister choice as an overwhelming 288 MLAs from all parties are from the Maratha community.

Fadnavis, a Brahmin, first became Maharashtra chief minister in 2014 and again for a brief while in 2019. "If the writ of RSS prevails, the chances of Fadnavis becoming CM are bright," a source said.

A close aide of Shinde said the caretaker chief minister is unlikely to accept the post of deputy CM in the new dispensation.

Sanjay Shirsat, an MLA and spokesperson of the Shiv Sena, however, said Shinde would be a part of the cabinet. "He is unlikely to be a deputy chief minister. It does not befit a person who has already served as chief minister," he told PTI.

The Shiv Sena led by Shinde will nominate another leader for the deputy CM's post, Shirsat added.

Shinde's son Shrikant Shinde, an MP, expressed pride in his father exemplifying the "alliance dharma" by prioritising collective governance over personal ambition.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance scripted a stunning victory in the recent state assembly elections by winning 230 seats in the 288-member House.

Recovering from its Lok Sabha elections losses, the BJP bagged 132 Assembly seats, the highest among all constituents of the Mahayuti alliance. Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP also performed well. Sena won 57 while NCP bagged 41 seats.

The Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi suffered a setback. The grand old party registered one of its worst performances in the assembly polls as it won only 16 seats. Sharad Pawar's NCP(SP) won just 10 seats, whereas Uddhav Thackeray's (UBT) won 20 seats.

The Maharashtra assembly elections were held on November 20, and the results were declared on November 23.

On Tuesday, Eknath Shinde tendered his resignation as chief minister to Governor CP Radhakrishnan. The governor requested Shinde to continue as caretaker chief minister until a new government is formed.

The Maharashtra assembly elections were held on November 20, and the results were declared on November 23.

On Tuesday, Eknath Shinde tendered his resignation as chief minister to Governor CP Radhakrishnan.

The governor requested Shinde to continue as caretaker chief minister until a new government is formed.