When everything appeared to be hunky-dory in the run-up to the formation of a new government in Maharashtra, things suddenly turned topsy-turvy in the state capital on Friday as Shiv Sena leader and caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on his return from New Delhi, headed straight to his native place in Satara district, prompting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led MahaYuti to cancel a crucial meeting of its three leaders called to decide on the contours of the new government.

On a day when the political situation became fluid resulting in the unexplained delay in the government formation in the state, the ruling BJP, which heads the MahaYuti that scored a landslide victory in the just-concluded Maharashtra Assembly, found itself in a limbo not knowing how to deal with Shinde and also with the emerging scenario within the party over the chief ministerial choice.

Shinde, who had sprung a nasty surprise on the then Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) by splitting the ruling Shiv Sena and teaming up with the BJP to form a new government in the State in June 2022, set the cat among the pigeons by heading to his native village amid the efforts by the MahaYuti to form a new government in the State.

Though it was not officially known as to what transpired at the joint meeting of the MahaYuti leaders, Fadnavis of the BJP, Shinde of the Shiv Sena (ES) and Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-AP) that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had convened at his New Delhi residence to formalise details of the government formation in the state, Mumbai experienced political tremors sparking speculations of all kind.

While there was no official word as to why Shinde cancelled all his appointments after his return from the National Capital and left for his native village Dare in Satara district in western Maharashtra, it was also confirmed that he would take up the post of deputy chief minister’s in the new government.

However, informed sources within the BJP said that Shinde was not averse to accepting the DCM’s post provided the BJP gave him the all-important State Home Ministry, a portfolio that Fadnavis held in the previous MahaYuti government. Knowing Shinde’s ‘nuisance’ value, the BJP is not ready to give the Home portfolio to the Shiv Sena (ES) president. “Maybe, the reason behind Shinde’s sudden departure to his native place is to express his sulk over the denial of Home and a few other crucial portfolios in the State Cabinet,” a senior Shinde Sena leader said.

The swearing-ceremony of the MahaYuti government, which in the normal course was to take on December 2 (Monday) is understood to have been postponed to December 5, because of the sudden turbulence within the MahaYuti - caused by Shinde’s sulk over denial of the Chief Minister’s post and leadership issues that have surfaced within the BJP. 

Meanwhile, the delay in the election of BJP’s Legislature Party (BJPLP) leader has surprised many within the State political circles. In the normal course, Devendra Fadnavis, who was all along touted as the front-runner for the chief minister’s post, should have been elected as the BJPLP leader by now. Though six days have passed since it led the MahaYuti to a historic victory in the polls, the BJPLP meeting has not taken place yet. Sources in the BJP attributed the delay to the holding of BJPLP meeting to the delay in the arrival of party’s central observers in Mumbai. They said that the observers were arriving in Mumbai on Sunday.

The delay has sparked speculation in the State political circles whether the JP Nadda-led party would spring a surprise like the one it did recently in Madhya Pradesh where it anointed Mohan Yadav, a leader from the Yadav OBC community, as the chief minister of that state in place of Shivraj Chauhan, more than two weeks after the Assembly poll outcome there.

Throughout the day, there was speculation within the state political circles that both Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were averse to making Fadnavis as the chief minister of Maharashtra once again. The names of Nitin  Gadkari and Vinod Tawde were being  discussed as possible replacements for Fadnavis, whom it was said would be made the BJP’s next national president.

The stock of Tawde, owing to reported manoeuvrings within the BJP, went down markedly, after he was allegedly found himself in a controversy over the alleged distribution of money in Vasai-Virar area a day prior to the State Assembly polls.       

Given the prevailing political situation within the ruling MahaYuti, it will take some more days before the formation of a new government. While it is more or less settled that there would be a chief minister and two deputy chief ministers,  the MahaYuti will have to work hard on the division of ministerial berths and portfolio allocations in the new government.