The long-drawn political turmoil in Maharashtra has led to an unexpected outcome, with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis announcing on Thursday, 30 June, that Shiv Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde will be the next chief minister of Maharashtra with the BJP's support.
Fadnavis, who had been speculated to take over as the CM, also said he will not be a part of Shinde's Cabinet. He claimed the BJP has the support of over 170 MLAs to form the new government.
Here are the key highlights of Fadnavis's address:
The BJP has decided that it will support Eknath Shinde as the chief minister of the state. Eknath Shinde will alone take oath at 7:30 pm today. After the ceremony, further decisions on the expansion of the Cabinet will be taken. The Cabinet will comprise of the Shiv Sena, the allies, the independents, and the BJP.
I will not be a part of the Cabinet, but I will take responsibility for the smooth functioning of the alliance and the government. I will provide full support and cooperation to the government.
It was expected that the BJP will form the government with the Shiv Sena in 2019. The PM said so in his address as well. However, the Sena changed their stance after the results. They decided to join hands with people who opposed Hindutva and Veer Savarkar.
The state needs an alternate government for its stability. With the leadership of Eknath Shinde, BJP and 16 independents have joined hands and staked claim to the Maharashtra government by handing over a letter to the Governor.
The MVA (Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi) tenure saw no development work and a lot of corruption.
Bal Thackeray opposed Dawood, but a minister related to Dawood was not even stripped off his post after being jailed.
Uddhav preferred the Congress-NCP leaders over his own people, but I won't comment on it as it is their internal matter.