Maha suspense intensifies

New Delhi/Mumbai: The suspense over who will become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra continues as Eknath Shinde cancelled his meetings on Monday

citing poor health, while NCP leader Ajit Pawar left for Delhi to meet top BJP leadership and discuss government formation. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party has named Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and ex-Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani as 'observers' for a meeting of its newly-elected Maharashtra MLAs, at which the issue of the next Chief Minister may be settled. However, no formal announcement has been made so far, but Devendra Fadnavis, a senior BJP leader and two-time former CM, is widely seen as the frontrunner for the post.

According to reports, caretaker CM Shinde was scheduled to attend a Mahayuti leaders’ meeting to finalise portfolio allocations. He is suffering from a throat infection and fever and did not return to his official residence, Varsha, in Mumbai. Shinde is currently staying in his native village in Satara.

Meanwhile, son of CM Shinde and Sena MP Srikant Shinde on Monday said the speculations about him getting the deputy CM’s post in the new state government were false and baseless.

In a post on X, the parliamentarian also said he had the chance of becoming a minister at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, but he refused it and he wanted to focus on working for the party organisation.

The BJP - which recorded a big win in last month’s Assembly election, with help from allies Shiv Sena and NCP (the Eknath Shinde- and Ajit Pawar-led factions) - has delayed naming the new Chief Minister amid backroom talks between the three allies over a power-sharing agreement.

The oath-taking ceremony of the Mahayuti government is scheduled for December 5 evening at Azad Maidan in Mumbai in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Meanwhile, preparations are underway at Azad Maidan for the Maharashtra CM oath-taking ceremony, said a senior BJP leader, claiming that the name of Devendra Fadnavis has been finalised as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra.