BJP likely to hold legislative party meet on Nov 25, oath-taking on Nov 26: Report

Since the results on Saturday, speculations have mounted over who would emerged as the next CM from the Mahayuti alliance

The Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP)-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra is all set to form the next state government after delivering a remarkable performance in the recent Assembly polls – the results of which were declared on Saturday.

In the first polls in Maharashtra since the split in the Shiv Sena and the NCP, BJP bagged 132 seats, Shiv Sena (Shinde) 57 and the NCP (Ajit Pawar) 41. The majority mark in the 288-member Assembly is 145.

Following the landslide party, the BJP is expected to convene a legislative party meeting on November 25 to elect the next chief minister. The oath-taking ceremony is likely to be held on November 26, ANI reported citing sources.

Since the results on Saturday, speculations have mounted over who would emerged as the next CM from the Mahayuti alliance—which includes the Shiv Sena faction led by chief minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP faction headed by Ajit Pawar.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is widely being seen as a strong contender for the top post for a third term.

"Maharashtra has broken all records, it is the biggest win for any party or pre-poll alliance in the last 50 years," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told BJP workers at party headquarters.

He also asserted that the message from the Maharashtra elections is that of unity and it is also an endorsement of the "ek hai toh safe hai" (united we are safe) slogan.

The BJP's highest tally in Assembly elections in Maharashtra was in 2014 when it bagged 122 seats after which Fadnavis became the chief minister for the first time. In 2019, it got 105 seats.