It's been more than 48 hours since the assembly election are out and yet the majority party Mahayuti has not shortlisted the name of Next CM for Maharashtra. There are many speculations that current CM Eknath Shinde will continue the position while Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar as Deputy CM. However as per the sources it is said that Devendra Fadnavis is likely to take the CM position for 3rd time. Reports suggest that the final decision was made in Delhi, though official confirmation is still pending.
Fadnavis, who previously served as Maharashtra's Chief Minister for five consecutive years from 2014 to 2019, made a return to the top post in 2019 during the political crisis, when he briefly took the oath as Chief Minister alongside Ajit Pawar. However, that government was considered a coalition, which ultimately collapsed. If the reports are accurate, this will mark Fadnavis' third term as Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Alongside Fadnavis' swearing-in, sources suggest that 10 BJP MLAs will take the oath as ministers. Additionally, ministers from both the Shiv Sena Shinde faction (6 MLAs) and the Ajit Pawar faction (4 MLAs) are also expected to be inducted into the new cabinet. In the recent assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats, supported by five MLAs from smaller parties and independents. The Shiv Sena faction led by Shinde won 57 seats, while Ajit Pawar's faction secured 41 seats.
Meanwhile, the current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has resigned from his position, marking the beginning of the process to dissolve the 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Until the new Chief Minister is sworn in, Shinde will continue to serve as the caretaker Chief minister, as per the Governor's instructions.