NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Saturday confirmed that the Chief Minister’s post in Maharashtra will be held by the BJP, as the Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde), and NCP (Ajit faction) moves towards government formation. Pawar also clarified that the Shiv Sena (Shinde) and NCP factions would secure the Deputy Chief Minister positions.

Pawar explained that during a meeting of the Mahayuti alliance leaders, it was decided that the Chief Minister would come from the BJP, with the remaining parties receiving Deputy Chief Minister roles. He added that delays in government formation were not unprecedented, citing the 1999 Maharashtra election when it took a month to form a government.

The Mahayuti alliance, which includes BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde), and NCP (Ajit Pawar), had a resounding victory in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, securing 230 out of 288 seats. The BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena (Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.

Chandrashekhar Bawankule, BJP’s state president, announced on Saturday that the oath-taking ceremony for the new government will take place on December 5 at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the event.

The announcement of the oath-taking ceremony came after a delay in talks over portfolio distribution. A planned meeting of the Mahayuti alliance on Friday was canceled when Chief Minister Eknath Shinde unexpectedly traveled to his village in Satara, further fueling speculation about the new government’s leadership.

Uday Samant, the outgoing state minister, defended Shinde’s decision to leave, attributing it to health reasons and downplaying any suggestions of discord within the alliance. According to Samant, all 60 MLAs have expressed their support for Shinde to take on the role of Deputy Chief Minister, though the final decision will rest with Shinde himself.

Meanwhile, the BJP is firm on naming Devendra Fadnavis as the Chief Minister, despite Shinde’s insistence that he would not oppose government formation and would follow the decisions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the leadership.