Maharashtra’s political crisis has come to an end. Eknath Shinde has been appointed as the state’s next Chief Minister. The question now is why, despite being the largest party in Maharashtra, the BJP gave Eknath Shinde, head of the renegade Shiv Sena section, the position of Chief Minister? After all, why didn’t Devendra Fadnavis keep this role?
Why did Eknath Shinde become Chief Minister?
With the start of the Maharashtra political crisis, it was determined that all the MLAs who are rebelling against Shiv Sena would recognise Eknath Shinde as their leader. Shinde was accompanied by a big number of MLAs to Gujarat and then to Guwahati in Assam. Later, a number of Shiv Sena MLAs defected and joined the Shinde faction. Eknath Shinde presently has the backing of 50 MLAs, including independents. That is, from the start of this entire political crisis till the finish, control was solely in the hands of Eknath Shinde.
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During which the Shinde group revolted and stated unequivocally that it would not return to the Shiv Sena. At the time, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray stated that if his MLAs came up and requested his resignation, he would gladly quit. He has also offered Eknath Shinde the position of Chief Minister. Uddhav had stated that if a Shiv Sainik becomes Chief Minister, the whole Shiv Sena will support him.
According to experts, the BJP’s decision to make Shinde Chief Minister has caused problems for Uddhav Thackeray. Shinde is an old Shiv Sainik, and even during the crisis, instead of founding a rival party, he referred to himself as the true Shiv Sainik.
In his own words, by selecting Shinde Chief Minister, the BJP has moved to encircle Uddhav. Along with this, efforts have been made to sway the remaining Shiv Sena MLAs. The BJP is also attempting to distance Uddhav Thackeray from the Shiv Sena with this approach.
Why Fadnavis didn’t become Chief Minister?
Since Eknath Shinde held the key to power, from disbanding the Shiv Sena to supporting the new administration, it would have been extremely difficult for the BJP to become chief minister. According to political analysts, the BJP has not forgotten the agony of forming a coalition government with the NCP. When power had to be restored in a matter of hours.
BJP didn’t want to repeat 2019 mistake?
In 2019, the BJP and Shiv Sena ran together in the elections. However, there was a disagreement between the two parties about the position of chief minister, and both opted to separate ways. At the time, the BJP attempted to form a government with the help of rebel NCP leader Ajit Pawar and his colleague MLAs. While Fadnavis was appointed as Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar was appointed as Deputy Chief Minister.