bjp-picks-nirmala-sitharaman-and-vijay-rupani-as-observers

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani as central observers for the Maharashtra Legislature party meeting.

 

The primary purpose of this meeting is for the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to elect a new leader, who is expected to be Devendra Fadnavis, as the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

 

This announcement comes shortly after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar confirmed that the position of Chief Minister would go to the BJP, with deputy chief ministers from both the NCP and Shiv Sena.

 

While both Shiv Sena and NCP have already chosen their respective leaders, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, the final decision regarding the official declaration of the Chief Minister’s name has yet to be resolved.

 

Reports suggest that Devendra Fadnavis, who previously served as the Chief Minister from 2014 to 2019, has been finalised for the role. A senior BJP leader revealed that a meeting would soon be convened to formally elect Fadnavis as the leader of the legislature party.

 

On December 1, outgoing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde confirmed that he would support the BJP’s decision in selecting the new Chief Minister. Shinde further mentioned that the official meeting to elect the new BJP legislature leader would likely take place on either December 2 or 3.

 

The formation of the new government in Maharashtra will be decided through consensus among the ruling Mahayuti allies, which include the BJP, NCP, and Shiv Sena.

 

This came after speculation about Eknath Shinde’s son, Shrikant Shinde, potentially taking on the position of deputy chief minister, while Shiv Sena has expressed interest in securing the Home portfolio.

 

The swearing-in ceremony for the new Mahayuti government is set for the evening of December 5 at Mumbai's Azad Maidan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to attend the event. Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule confirmed the date for the oath-taking ceremony.

 

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a decisive victory in the Maharashtra elections, which were concluded on November 23. The BJP emerged as the single largest party, securing 132 seats in the state legislature.