Eknath Shinde relents, to take oath as Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena president Eknath Shinde would be taking oath as a deputy chief minister of Maharashtra at the swearing-in ceremony here on Thursday evening, his party colleague Uday Samant said.

The announcement, which came hours before the ceremony, ended the uncertainty over the outgoing chief minister's role in the new Mahayuti government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

BJP legislature party leader Devendra Fadnavis would take oath as chief minister, while Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar would be sworn in as his deputies at the ceremony to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Eknath Shinde is set to take oath as deputy chief minister. We had a discussion with Devendra Fadnavis, who provided us with a letter confirming that Shinde will join him as deputy CM. I am here to submit it to the governor," Samant told reporters outside the Raj Bhavan before meeting Governor C P Radhakrishnan.

Shinde, who was chief minister in the previous Mahayuti coalition government, was reportedly not happy as he had to cede the top post to the ally BJP, and was reluctant to take the deputy CM post.

Fadnavis, as well as Shiv Sena leaders requested Shinde that he should join the new government as deputy CM, Samant told reporters.

"Devendra Fadnavis personally requested Shinde to join his team. Shinde respected the request," Samant said.

There was no friction among the allies, he claimed.

"Shinde made a massive contribution to Maharashtra (during his tenure as CM). It was necessary that he join the government for the sake of the state's people and his followers. He was thinking that he should make somebody else deputy CM and he himself should work to increase the party's strength. We flatly rejected this proposal," Samant, a minister in the outgoing government, said.

On portfolio distribution, Samant said Fadnavis, Shinde and Ajit Pawar will take decisions together. "Shinde has stated clearly earlier that he would accept any decision by PM Modi and Amit Shah regarding the coalition," he added.

Sanjay Shirsat, another Sena leader, had said earlier this week that the party must get the home portfolio as the BJP was getting the top post.

But Samant denied that Shinde was putting pressure on the BJP over certain portfolios.

"If Shinde wanted to mount pressure on the BJP, why would he make a statement that he would accept any decision of Modi and Shah?" he asked.

The formation of the new government comes after two weeks of intense negotiations among the Mahayuti allies following the November 20 assembly polls and results on November 23.

The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP coalition has a commanding majority of 230 seats in the 288-member House.