BJP mounts pressure on Shiv Sena, says Deputy CM post 'only for Eknath Shinde'

Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Wednesday virtually cleared the way for the appointment of Devendra Fadnavis as the Maharashtra Chief Minister. (File Photo: PTI)

The Bharatiya Janata Party is learnt to have conveyed to the Shiv Sena that it will not accept any other Shiv Sena leader as the deputy chief minister other than Eknath Shinde. The stand comes a day after Shinde virtually paved the way for Devendra Fadnavis’ appointment as the chief minister and claimed he will abide by any decision of the NDA’s top leadership with regard to government formation in Maharashtra.

According to a report by CNN-News18 citing sources, the BJP has made it clear to the Shiv Sena that it will not accept any other face from the Shiv Sena other than Shinde as the deputy CM. The development comes on a day when top NDA leaders from Maharashtra are scheduled to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to finalise the CM face and discuss the allocation of key ministries.

Reports earlier said that Shinde had pitched for his son Shrikant Shinde to be appointed as Deputy Chief Minister in the upcoming Maharashtra Cabinet in the event of his withdrawal from the CM race.

However, the caretaker CM’s proposal to anoint his son as deputy CM sparked dissent within Shinde’s Sena itself with several leaders pointing out that such a decision would reflect poorly on the party. The leaders pointed out that the Sena has been critical of a similar move by its rival Shiv Sena (UBT) after Uddhav Thackeray promoted his son Aaditya Thackeray to a ministerial position in the MVA government.

Discussions have already begun on the shape of the incoming Cabinet ahead of the key meeting of Maharashtra NDA leaders scheduled to be held in New Delhi this evening. The BJP is likely to keep 21 of the 43 ministries Maharashtra can have followed by the Shiv Sena and NCP. Home and Finance would be the key portfolios to watch out for.

Notably, soon after Shinde signalled on Wednesday that he was agreeable to Fadnavis being appointed as CM, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule thanked him for the announcement.

"I want to thank Shinde. He today made clear his stand on the chief minister's post. He has taken an important stand. I am proud of him," the BJP leader told PTI.