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Maharashtra’s caretaker CM Eknath Shinde drew raucous laughter from the crowd as he made evasive replies when asked if he will join the new government as one of the deputies to Devendra Fadnavis
Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde with NCP chief Ajit Pawar during a press conference, at Mumbai on December 4. (Image: PTI/Shashank Parade)
Maharashtra’s caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde may have kept his allies in suspense over his role as a deputy, but he was in high spirits at Mahayuti’s joint press conference after the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP staked claim to form the new government on Wednesday.
Shinde drew raucous laughter from the crowd, as well as from CM-elect Fadnavis and NCP chief Ajit Pawar alike, as he made evasive replies when asked if he will join the government.
When asked if he and Ajit Pawar will take oath as deputy CMs during the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday (December 5), he told reporters: “Arey, abhi toh kaha, Devendra ji bhi keh rahey hain, main bhi keh raha hun. Ruko zara shyam tak, shapath grahan toh kal hai na…(Devendra ji just told you, I too said wait till evening, the oath taking is tomorrow).”
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To this, Pawar interjected and said he was going to take oath (as deputy CM), drawing laughter. “Shaam tak inka samajh aayega, main toh lene wala hun (we’ll know about what he wants by evening, but I’m definitely going to take oath).”
In the same vein, Shinde, who was CM from July 2022 onwards, quipped: “Dada has experience of taking oath…shaam ko bhi shapath lete hain, subah mein bhi lete hain (He has experience. He can take oath in the morning as well as in the evening.”
He was apparently referring to Pawar’s early morning oath-taking as Fadnavis’s deputy when the BJP and an NCP faction led by him formed a short-lived government in 2019. Both the leaders were seen sharing a laugh in good spirt even as Fadnavis looked on.
Both Shinde and Pawar have backed Fadnavis for CM while the latter has agreed to be one of the deputies. But, Shinde’s silence on his new role remains a thorn in the side. And if he does not decide by evening as he has said he will, the suspense could travel forward to the day of the oath taking.
At the joint press conference, Fadnavis said besides the Sena and NCP, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, Jansurajya Shakti Party, Yuva Swabhiman Paksh’s Ravi Rana and two other independent MLAs have given him letters of support.
The swearing-in will take place at Azad Maidan ground in south Mumbai at 5.30 pm on Thursday, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union ministers besides CMs of NDA-ruled states.
Pawar said the new government will function unitedly, while Shinde said he was satisfied with his tenure during which welfare measures and development agenda were pursued in a balanced way.
“We will work as a team. Our responsibility has grown because of the huge mandate,” he said. The Mahayuti coalition won last month’s assembly elections by a landslide, bagging 230 of 288 seats.
(With PTI inputs)
