As per PTI report, caretaker CM Eknath Shinde headed to his native village amid continuing suspense over the announcement of next chief minister. On Thursday, Shinde told reporters that the final decision on the CM will be taken on Friday during a follow-up meeting in Mumbai.

However, since the Shiv Sena is now travelling to his native village Dare in Satara district in western Maharashtra, the meeting is now expected to take place on Sunday.

Talking to reporters in Delhi past Thursday midnight, Eknath Shinde called the discussions “good and positive”. He said their next meeting will take place in Mumbai on Friday.

The meeting is expected later in the day but nothing has been scheduled as of now, sources said.

Ajit Pawar is expected to return to Mumbai in the afternoon.

The BJP is yet to convene its legislature party meeting.

Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar met Shah and BJP president J P Nadda late Thursday to thrash out a power-sharing pact for the next government in Maharashtra after the BJP-led coalition registered a thumping majority in the assembly elections.

“We will take a decision (on Maharashtra CM) in a day or two. We have held discussions, and the discussions will continue. You will get to know when we take a final decision,” Shinde told reporters in Delhi.

(Source: PTI)

The ruling Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena won a landslide victory in the November 20 Maharashtra elections, bagging 230 of 288 seats.

With this victory, 78 first-time poll winners will enter the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, comprising about 27 per cent of its strength. KNOW ALL FIRST-TIME MLAs

Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis returned to Mumbai on Friday morning after the two and NCP's Ajit Pawar met Union Home Minister Amit Shah over Maharashtra government formation.

Talking to reporters in Delhi past Thursday midnight, Shinde called the discussions “good and positive”. He said their next meeting will take place in Mumbai on Friday.

The meeting is expected later in the day but nothing has been scheduled as of now, sources said.

Ajit Pawar is expected to return to Mumbai in the afternoon.

The BJP is yet to convene its legislature party meeting.

On CM face for Maharashtra, Union Minister & BJP leader Dr. Bhagwat Karad says, " It has been clearly said that the leaders of all three parties will take a decision together. I think it will be finalised by next week. It will be a stable govt which will work for the public. I am from BJP so I feel that the CM should be from my party. I have full faith."

(Source: ANI)

Amid the ongoing chaos over the next CM face of the state following Mahayuti's resounding poll victory in the 2024 assembly elections, the BJP is tipped to get the chief ministerial post while its two allies, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde Faction) and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar Faction), are expected to occupy the post of two deputies.

Speculations are rife that Eknath Shinde may swap his position with Devendra Fadnavis while Ajit Pawar will continue as one of the two deputy chief ministers.

Seventy-eight first-time poll winners will enter the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, comprising about 27 per cent of its strength.

Of these, 33 are from the BJP, 14 from the Shiv Sena and eight from the NCP. While the Shiv Sena (UBT) has 10 newcomers, six such MLA-elects are from the Congress and four from the NCP (SP).

There are two first-time assembly poll winners from smaller parties, while an independent candidate will also make his debut in the House.

(Source: PTI)

In response to Sanjay Raut's statement, BJP MP Dinesh Sharma said that his statements need not be taken seriously. "Sanjay Raut should be more concerned about his Shiv Sena (UBT)...People of Congress itself are saying that it is Sanjay Raut who caused trouble for both Congress and Shiv Sena. His statements need not be taken seriously. Mahayuti is united, we fought the election together and will govern Maharashtra for the next 5 years unitedly..." Sharma said.

(Source: ANI)

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that everything related to Maharashtra will be decided in Delhi and Eknath Shinde along with Ajit Pawar will have to come to the national capital again and again. "They will have to listen to PM and Amit Shah...He (Ajit Pawar) was always Deputy CM and he will keep becoming Deputy CM only...the brightness of his face which had disappeared after Lok Sabha polls, has now returned, it is the wonder of EVMs. A '3-murti' temple should be formed, in the middle EVM, on one side PM and the other side Amit Shah," Raut saud.

(Source: ANI)

The ‘beloved sisters’ of Maharashtra appear to have trumped Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in clinching the victory title in the assembly elections

 Shinde, who led the campaign of the Mahayuti alliance -- including the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party -- praised the sisterly female voters for the thumping majority. “Mahayuti has emerged as the favourite in Maharashtra. This victory belongs to my beloved sisters,” said Shinde in a tweet thanking the people of Maharashtra. READ FULL STORY

Speaking to the media, current deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “In our Mahayuti alliance, there has never been a difference of opinion. We have always made decisions collectively. Before the elections, we announced that the decision regarding the Chief Minister's post would be taken collectively after the results. A few people had doubts, but Eknath Shinde ji has clarified those today. We will soon meet our leaders and finalise the decision.”

Bharatiya Janata Party’s stunning victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections has swept away two of the leading political lighthouses --veteran Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray.  

The two political stalwarts have navigated several rocky shores and undercurrents of the state’s regional politics, but the humiliating defeat in the crucial assembly elections left them adrift.  

Part of the Congress-led Mahavikas alliance, Pawar’s NCP and Sena UBT factions won just 10 and 20 seats respectively, making it their worst performance ever. Pawar’s nephew Yugendra lost by a huge margin in his hometown constituency of Baramati against his uncle Ajit Pawar. READ FULL STORY

The meeting began late evening and continued into the night with the leaders exiting around midnight. Shinde said that the discussions were “good and positive” and that a follow-up meeting would take place in Mumbai.

“There will be another meeting of the Mahayuti. In this meeting, a decision will be taken about who will be the Chief Minister. The meeting will be held in Mumbai....” news agency ANI quoted Eknath Shinde. READ FULL STORY

On the meeting of Mahayuti after after Maharashtra elections, Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande says, "Caretaker CM Eknath Shinde ji has expressed full faith in PM Modi and Amit Shah ji as he is an important part of NDA. The members of (Shiv Sena) legislative party have elected him as our leader and we have left it to him to talk about portfolios & other demands..."

(Source: ANI)

The highly anticipated meeting between the BJP national president J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah with key leaders from the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance including Eknath Shinde ended without conclusion on Thurday night.

The meeting took place at Shah’s residence in New Delhi and lasted for over two hours. The discussion included crucial talks with caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, and other top leaders of Mahayuti.