Despite Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, pushing for the Maharashtra chief minister's position and the home portfolio, top BJP sources confirmed on Wednesday that the party has decided to appoint Devendra Fadnavis as the next chief minister and keep the home portfolio with him.

In the midst of ongoing discussions regarding the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra, caretaker CM Eknath Shinde, who also heads the Shiv Sena, held a press conference in Thane. He declared that the next Chief Minister will be from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Shinde expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve the state and highlighted his efforts to drive development in Maharashtra. "I worked as a common man, without maintaining any protocol, and focused on bringing reforms for the people," he said. He credited his achievements to the unwavering support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. "I thank Amit Shah and the Prime Minister for giving me the chance to serve the people for 2.5 years," Shinde added.

He also shared a conversation he had with Prime Minister Modi, assuring him that he would not interfere with the state’s government formation. Shinde conveyed to the PM that the final decision on the new CM would be left to him, and he would respect that decision.

The Mahayuti alliance, consisting of the BJP, Shinde's Shiv Sena faction, and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), emerged victorious in the Maharashtra Assembly elections held on November 20. The results, declared on November 23, saw the alliance defeating the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. The BJP emerged as the largest party, securing 132 seats in the 288-member assembly. The Shiv Sena won 57 seats, while NCP secured 41 seats. On the other hand, the Shiv Sena (UBT) bagged 20 seats, Congress won 16, and NCP (SP) managed only two.

Following the election results, Eknath Shinde resigned as CM on November 26, assuming the role of caretaker CM until the new government is formed. Shinde, along with Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, met with Governor C P Radhakrishnan, who appointed Shinde as the caretaker head until the new CM takes office, as the term of the outgoing Assembly ended.

Despite the victory, the Mahayuti alliance has yet to announce the new Chief Minister, fueling speculation about possible divisions within the alliance over the post. Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat suggested that clarity on the CM position could be expected after talks among the alliance’s leaders, including Shinde, Fadnavis, and Pawar, with top BJP officials like Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah.

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