In a dramatic turn of events following the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured the public on Saturday evening that Maharashtra will have a new Chief Minister by November 26. His statement came after the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), secured a commanding victory in the polls.
“The leaders of all three parties—BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP—will first appoint their respective leaders, and then the Chief Minister will be decided. Do not worry, the picture will be clear and the state will get a new CM by November 26,” Fadnavis declared confidently in his address.
As of 4:45 PM on election day, the Mahayuti alliance was leading in 228 out of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was trailing with just 49 seats. While the final results are yet to be officially declared, it’s clear that the BJP-led Mahayuti is poised to form the next government in Maharashtra.
The announcement has sparked speculation about who will be the next Chief Minister, with several reports suggesting that Fadnavis, who previously served as the CM from 2014 to 2019, might reclaim the top post. The state’s political landscape has been dynamic, especially after the 2022 rebellion that led to the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government and the rise of the current BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP coalition under Eknath Shinde.
The term of the current government will officially end on November 26, 2024, and while many expected a close contest between Mahayuti and MVA, the overwhelming mandate has ensured that Maharashtra will have a stable government.
Speaking earlier, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde thanked the people of Maharashtra, particularly women, for their support. “We have won with a thumping majority. The sisters have taught a lesson to the step-brothers (MVA),” Shinde said, referring to the success of the ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’ (Women’s Empowerment Scheme).
Meanwhile, NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar took a jibe at the MVA for allegedly preparing for ‘resort politics.’ “We have achieved a massive victory. We were confident that the people of Maharashtra would vote for us, and thus, we did not feel the need to book resorts,” Pawar said, mocking the opposition’s strategy of booking resorts for their candidates in the days leading up to the results.
With the election commission expected to announce the official results by late evening, the next steps will include formal procedures for claiming the mandate and forming the new government.
The people of Maharashtra are eagerly waiting to see who will lead the state next, as speculation continues about whether Fadnavis will once again take the reins. Only time will tell, but one thing is certain—Maharashtra is set for a significant political shift by November 26.
