INDIA. Mumbai: In a dramatic term of events, the BJP decided to offer chief ministership to the rebel Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Sambhaji Shinde and extend him full support to offer a stable government in Maharashtra on Thursday.
BJP Leader Devendra Fadnavis, flanked by Eknath Shinde told the media that Shinde alone will be sworn in at the first stage and the cabinet will be formed subsequently. He is joining the BJP with 50 MLAs. Of these nearly 40 MLAs belong to Shiv Sena.
Fadnavis said that he will not be part of the Government, but the responsibility of providing stability to the Shinde-led Government will remain with him. The new government will take care of all important issues confronting the state including the controversial OBC reservation issue.
The BJP took this decision based on principles and its Hindutva ideology. The BJP was not after the chief ministership. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government was deviating from the ideology and Hindutva propagated by Shiv Sena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray and the NCP and Congress were flourishing at the cost of the Shiv Sena. “We had to take this decision keeping in mind the well being of Maharashtra.”
The 2019 Assembly elections
The 2019 Assembly elections were jointly contested by the BJP and Shiv Sena. The BJP had a solid strength to form the Government. Yet Uddhav Thackeray betrayed and joined the NCP and Congress against whom Shiv Sena patriarch Balasaheb Thackeray fought consistently.
Shinde thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for giving him this opportunity. He said that nearly 50 MLAs are on his side and this itself proved that all was not well in the Shiv Sena. He appreciated that the Aurangabad and Osmanabad were renamed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on the last day of his two and half years career as the CM on Wednesday.
Shinde landed in Mumbai from Goa on Thursday. Soon after the announcement of Shinde being appointed as the new CM was made, other rebel MLAs stationed in Goa danced and rejoiced. Similarly, there was jubilation outside Shinde’s residence In Thane near Mumbai.
Shinde basically from Satara and now settled in Thane has been a corporator of Thane Municipal Corporation and four times MLA, twice cabinet minister besides a guardian minister of Thane.
However after the name of Shinde for chief ministership was announced, the mood in the BJP camp was subdued.
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