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All three parties of the Mahayuti alliance will meet the BJP’s top brass in Delhi to choose the next Maharashtra CM.
NCP chief Ajit Pawar speaking in Delhi ahead of the NDA meeting. (Image: ANI)
Amid suspense over Maharashtra’s next Chief Minister, NCP chief Ajit Pawar reached Delhi to attend the highly-anticipated National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meet where the future CM is likely to be announced.
Speaking to reporters, Ajit Pawar thanked the NCP workers and rejected the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) claims on EVMS. “When they got more seats in Lok Sabha, then EVMs were fine for them. In assembly elections, the result is different and hence they are blaming the EVMs,” he quipped ahead of the NDA meeting in Delhi.
#WATCH | Delhi | NCP chief Ajit Pawar says, “In the parliamnet election, EVM was fine because the result was in their (Maha Vikas Aghadi) favour. In assembly elections, the result is different and hence they are blaming the EVM…”Ajit Pawar says, “Our party was a national… pic.twitter.com/poR1io9XP5
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2024
Meanwhile, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde have also left Mumbai to meet the top BJP leadership in Delhi to take a decision on the future CM, with the money riding on Fadnavis. Sources told CNN-News18 earlier that Fadnavis was “almost finalised” as the CM and an official announcement will be made soon.
Ajit Pawar Eyes ‘National Party’ Status For NCP
Pawar also expressed his desire to gain a “national status” for his faction of the NCP. “Our party was a national party – for that we need to work more now, we will fight and we will achieve success,” he told reporters.
NCP leader Praful Patel also echoed similar sentiments, saying his party was a recognised party in three states and announced that the NCP will contest the Delhi Assembly elections next year. “We won’t stop – and to make our party a national party – the stature that we lost – our next stop is the Delhi (assembly) election. We will contest and I am certain that we will open our account and get success,” he said.
Patel also highlighted that the NCP’s power had shrunk in recent years. “Recently, We won in Nagaland, our 7 MLAs won and after that we contested in Arunachal Pradesh and 3 of our MLAs won and we got 10.6% votes,” he added.
Suspense Over Maharashtra CM Continues, BJP Eyes Key Portfolios
While the suspense continues on who will become the CM of Maharashtra, all three parties have shown a united front and remained tight-lipped over the matter. While the BJP is tipped to get the chief ministerial post, its other two allies are expected to be given the post of two deputies, continuing the formula from before.
This comes after Shinde on Wednesday announced the Shiv Sena would support the decisions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to name the next Maharashtra chief minister, paving the way for the BJP to head the new government.
Sources told News18 that the ruling Mahayuti has devised a 21-12-10 formula for the Maharashtra cabinet, where the BJP will bag 21 ministerial berths as it is the largest party in the state, followed by 12 for Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and 10 for Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Reports indicate that the BJP has staked claim to finance, home and general administration portfolios, which are vital to maintaining administrative dominance and political leverage.
