What's cooking in Maharashtra? Cancelled meeting, Eknath Shinde's visit to native village keep CM suspense alive

The Maharashtra governor has asked Shinde to act as a caretaker chief minister till a new CM is sworn in. (PTI Photo)

The suspense over who will be the next Maharashtra chief minister may linger for at least two more days with the BJP-led Mahayuti calling off a crucial meeting of allies on Friday.

The decision is likely to emerge on Sunday when BJP is expected to hold its legislature party meeting.

READ: Maharashtra government formula finalised but few issues yet to be resolved
Midnight huddle

On Thursday night, Shiv Sena supremo Eknath Shinde, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP chief Ajit Pawar met Union home minister Amit Shah and held extensive talks on the Maharashtra government formation.

There were wide expectations that the suspense over the CM post would be lifted following the meeting, which lasted beyond midnight.

Live updates: Maharashtra government formation

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Shinde called the discussions “good and positive” but gave no indications of what transpired during the talks.

He said their next meeting will take place in Mumbai on Friday, which was called off later.

Sources told CNN-News18 that Thursday’s meeting primarily witnessed discussions around cabinet berth allocations, with Shinde demanding at least 12 key ministerial berths in the new cabinet for Shiv Sena.

Shinde's power play?

On Friday morning, Shinde left for his native village in Satara, prompting speculations that he is unhappy after the meeting.

Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant was quick to dismiss the rumours, saying that the Maharashtra caretaker CM has gone to his village for personal reasons.

However, sources said that Shinde's decision to leave for his native village could be a bargaining tactic to push for better portfolios for Shiv Sena.

Sources said that Shiv Sena is keen on the Home, Urban Development, Public Works and other plum portfolios in the incoming Maharashtra Cabinet. He is also reportedly pushing for two berths in the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

But BJP is unlikely to give away the Home portfolio to Shiv Sena, which may cause some uneasiness among the allies.

Moreover, sources said that efforts are afoot to convince Shinde to take the deputy chief minister's role in the new government. Mahayuti has already agreed to continue with the 'chief minister + deputy chief ministers' formula in the state. However, Shinde may be unwilling to accept the deputy CM's role as it may look like a demotion.

Fadnavis comeback on cards?

As uncertainty persists in Maharashtra even a week after the assembly election results, all eyes will now be on the BJP legislature party meeting.

The meeting is expected to take place within the next two days, with most reports saying that it will be held on Sunday.

Shiv Sena's Samant said that BJP will appoint its legislative party leader in the next two days, which will make it easier for the Mahayuti allies to decide on the next course of action.

Though Devendra Fadnavis is widely expected to be the BJP's choice for Maharashtra's chief minister, the post-result deliberations have added an element of uncertainty to the decision.

Moreover, BJP is also known to spring surprises when it comes to naming its chief ministers. Think Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan.

If the BJP's central leadership decides to follow the Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh pattern, a low-profile candidate could also be chosen.

Names like Ashish Shelar, Vinod Tawde, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Chandrakant Patil, and Meghana Bordikar are being discussed in case Fadnavis doesn’t get the nod.

'Won't be a roadblock'

On Wednesday, Shinde paved the way for BJP to nominate its chief minister in Maharashtra after saying that he will abide the decision taken by the NDA brass and won't act like a roadblock.

In a late night media briefing, Shinde recalled his tenure as CM and said that he was a "common man" chief minister. "Since becoming chief minister, I did not take a single day off ... I am not one who cries, I fight... I will work for Maharashtra till my last breath," he said.

Later, ahead of the NDA meeting on Thursday, he said that the "ladka bhau" (beloved brother) designation means more to him than anything else.

The BJP-led faction scripted a historic victory in the Maharashtra election last week. The BJP won 132 seats, Shiv Sena Sena 57 and Ajit Pawar's NCP 41 in the 288-member assembly.