To be a Deputy Chief Minister, or not to be? That, it seems, is the question before Eknath Shinde as the clock ticks down to 5.30 pm and Devendra Fadnavis being sworn in as Chief Minister.
Mr Shinde was widely expected to be sworn in as a deputy to Mr Fadnavis this evening; sources told NDTV last evening he had been persuaded to stand down designs on the top post and join an alliance member – almost certainly Ajit Pawar of the NCP – to be one of two Deputy Chief Ministers.
Indeed, Mr Fadnavis himself dropped broad hints to that effect when he met Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan and formally staked the Mahayuti alliance’s claim to form the next government.
The matter seemed settled after nearly a fortnight of suspense and jabs from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which mocked the BJP-led coalition for having failed to put together an administration.
But now, hours before a grand swearing-in ceremony at Mumbai’s historic Azad Maidan, a possible U-turn may be on the cards. Sources have told NDTV Mr Shinde is re-considering his options, in what is being seen as a potential last-gasp power play to force greater rewards from the BJP.
Sources said party leaders are frantically trying to persuade their boss to be part of the new government. That apparent attempt at persuasion was underlined by Sena leader Sanjay Shirasat.
“Eknath Shinde will listen to our request and take oath as Deputy Chief Minister… we want him to take the oath. We are all going to convince him and get him ready for the oath-taking,” he said.
A second Sena leader was more direct; Uday Samant said the Shinde Sena had “made it very clear that he (Eknath Shinde) must become Deputy Chief Minister in this government”. He also declared no Shinde Sena leader would accept a seat in the government if Mr Shinde does not accept the offer.
A third, Deepak Kesarkar, appealed to Mr Shinde by using Mr Fadnavis himself as an example, pointing out he had also stepped down from the Chief Minister’s chair to the Deputy’s in 2022.
Mr Shinde, Sena leaders have declared, will announce his decision shortly.
The dithering by Mr Shinde is being seen by many as an attempt to secure key cabinet berths in the incoming government. Part of the negotiations that saw Mr Fadnavis confirmed as the new Chief Minister saw the BJP keep around 20 cabinet berths and give a dozen to the Shinde Sena.
Just what these are, or will be, is unclear.
But they will certainly be high-profile posts; the Shinde Sena, sources said, has designs on the Home Ministry, currently held by Mr Fadnavis. At least three other big-name portfolios, including Water Resources and Public Works Department, are also expected to be heading to the Shinde Sena.
The dithering could also be a way for a Shinde Sena, which seems to feel it has been short-changed by its ally, by to steal some of the spotlight, the attention, from the BJP and Mr Fadnavis.
Sources have said many within the Shinde Sena are unhappy at seeming to play second fiddle to the BJP despite the Mahayuti’s election win coming on the back of the Eknath Shinde government’s policies and performance over the past two-and-a-half years.
Ultimately, however, in electoral politics numbers are everything and the Shinde Sena, quite simply, doesn’t have the leverage.
Mr Shinde became Chief Minister in 2022 after leading over 40 Sena MLAs away from then-party boss Uddhav Thackeray’s side. Mr Shinde and his loyalists allied with the BJP which, then, had only 105 MLAs and no support from the NCP; that came the next year after Ajit Pawar’s rebellion.
That meant it had to accept Mr Shinde’s terms if it wanted power in Maharashtra.
This time around the BJP holds the cards.
It has 132 MLAs and Ajit Pawar’s NCP in its pocket, giving it 173 seats in the 288-seat House. It does not, really, need the Sena of Eknath Shinde to form the government. But a break-up is not a good image, particularly for a party that prides itself on working well with allies. It will also bring back memories of the 2019 split with the then-undivided Sena, which lost the BJP power in Maharashtra.
