Eknath Shinde, the caretaker Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has announced that the state’s next CM will be decided tomorrow, adding that he will offer his ‘unconditional support’ to the BJP’s top leadership.
Speaking from his native village in Satara, where he had gone for rest after a grueling election schedule, Shinde dismissed rumours of dissatisfaction over the CM pick, affirming that he is fully behind the BJP leadership.
“I am doing good now. I had come here to rest after the hectic election schedule... I did not take any leave during my 2.5 years as the CM,” Shinde told mediapersons.
"This government will listen to the people," he added.
Shinde’s health had reportedly declined after he arrived in Satara, where he was suffering from fever and a throat infection. A doctor attending to the CM confirmed that he was receiving medication and IV therapy, and would recover in two days.
“He has been given medicines and put on IV. He will feel better in two days. He is leaving for Mumbai on Sunday,” Dr RM Parte said.
Addressing the speculation over the CM post, a close aide of Shinde clarified that he was merely taking some time to rest. “All three allies of the Mahayuti have a good understanding,” Shinde remarked.
He also declared that his government’s work over the past 2.5 years would be remembered as “golden letters in history”.
Shinde’s statement on the Maharashtra CM pick comes a day before the much-anticipated Mahayuti oath-taking ceremony, scheduled for December 5 at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the event, which will see the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) formally take charge.
In a significant announcement on Saturday, NCP chief Ajit Pawar revealed that the BJP would assume the Chief Minister’s post, while Shiv Sena and NCP would claim the two deputy CM roles.
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