Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has submitted his resignation to Governor CP Radhakrishnan. Shinde resigned as the Chief Minister as a post-election procedure as the term of the Maharashtra Assembly was due to end on Tuesday. Shinde met the Governor in person at the Raj Bhavan along with Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
Shinde will continue as the caretaker Chief Minister until the new government takes office. Shinde said that he is grateful to the party and the people of Maharashtra for supporting him during his tenure.
I have done my best to serve the state. Now, he said, it is time for a new face to take Maharashtra forward. Eknath Shinde will take charge as the Chief Minister in June 2022.
Meanwhile, uncertainty continues over who will be the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The RSS and NCP leader Ajit Pawar’s faction want BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to become the Chief Minister.
However, the Shiv Sena Shinde faction wants Eknath Shinde to continue as the Chief Minister. The ruling front has retained power in Maharashtra by winning a huge majority without even an official opposition.
Fadnavis, who was the Chief Minister from 2014 to 2019, had taken the post of Deputy Chief Minister under Eknath Shinde, who split the Shiv Sena. It is learnt that the BJP leadership has proposed that Shinde should also take the post of Deputy Chief Minister under Fadnavis in the same style. Ajit Pawar will be the Deputy Chief Minister from the NCP. Fadnavis, Shinde and Ajit Pawar have reached Delhi to attend the wedding reception of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter. It is expected that a final announcement will be made during the discussions between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda.
It has also been tentatively agreed that the Shiv Sena will be given 12 ministerial berths, including key portfolios. The NCP will get 10 ministerial berths. The BJP will have 21 ministers, including the Chief Minister. The strength of the Maharashtra cabinet is 43 members. It is also reported that there may be a compromise this time in the Home, Finance, Urban Development and Revenue portfolios, which were held by the BJP in the previous government.
