MUMBAI: Notwithstanding the posturing by his Shiv Sena cadre that he continue as Maharashtra Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde on Wednesday made it clear that he has assured PM Modi of abiding by whatever decision the BJP takes on naming his successor.
Addressing a press conference at his house in Thane, Shinde (60) said he will “fully support” the BJP leadership’s decision to name the next CM and won’t be a hurdle in the process.
“I called PM Modi and Amit Shah yesterday and told them to decide (on who will be the CM post) and assured them that I will abide by whatever decision they take,” Shinde said.
“Our Shiv Sena will fully support the BJP’s decision to name the next Maharashtra CM. There is no speed breaker from our side,” Shinde said, showing no trace on his face of having swallowed the bitter pill, in the backdrop of a concerted campaign by the Sena leaders for his continuation in the saddle.
Shinde rubbished reports that he was disappointed for not getting a second term as CM despite the ruling Mahayuti alliance winning a thumping victory under his leadership.
“Nobody is annoyed. We have worked as Mahayuti,” he said.
Asked if he was disappointed that he was not getting a second term, Shinde said, “There is no such thing. You must remember that the BJP supported my tenure as CM.”
“There is a meeting in Delhi tomorrow with Amit bhai (Shah), and all related decisions will be taken there,” Shinde said when asked about who the deputy chief ministers will be in the new cabinet.
Sources told PTI that Shinde may have already indicated his willingness to be one of the two deputy CMs in the new cabinet.
The modalities of forming the next government will be finalised in the meeting at Delhi on Thursday, Shinde said.
“I thank the people and voters of Maharashtra once again for this landslide victory in the recent assembly elections,” he said.
Shinde said he campaigned extensively during the recent assembly elections. “I used to sleep for 2-3 hours before starting the campaign the next day,” he added.
“I am a worker forever; for me, CM is not Chief Minister but Common Man,” he said.
Shinde thanked PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for supporting him during his two-and-a-half-year tenure as chief minister. “We worked to take Maharashtra to Number 1 spot from Number 3 in six months of my becoming CM,” he said.
“I am not disappointed. We fight and don’t cry,” Shinde said, referring to media reports that he was unhappy over being asked to step down despite leading the Mahayuti to a massive poll victory.
“I worked as the CM not to become popular but for the welfare of people of Maharashtra,” Shinde said.
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance scripted a powerful comeback in state assembly elections by winning 230 seats in the 288-member House.
Recovering from its Lok Sabha election losses, the BJP bagged 132 constituencies, highest among all constituents of the Mahayuti. Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP also performed well. Sena won 57, while NCP won 41 seats.
Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a setback. The grand old party registered one of its worst performances in the state assembly polls after it won only 16 seats. Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) won just 10 seats, whereas Uddhav Thackeray’s (UBT) won 20 seats.
The Maharashtra assembly elections were held on November 20, and the results were declared on November 23.
On Tuesday, Eknath Shinde tendered his resignation as CM to Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan. The governor requested Shinde to continue as caretaker chief minister until the new government is formed.
