Fadnavis set to be Maharashtra CM, party meet today

Will meet governor after 6.30 pm to stake claim for government formation

BJP's Maharashtra unit chief Devendra Fadnavis is expected to be chosen as the next chief minister of the state today. 
 

The saffron party's newly elected legislators will meet at Vidhan Bhavan at 4pm today where Fadnavis will be elected as the party leader. The meeting will take place in the presence of party observers, union home minister Rajnath Singh and BJP general secretary JP Nadda. 

 

Fadnavis has been the choice of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. 

 

With Fadnavis' election, BJP legislators, who had gathered at the party's headquarters, told Business Standard, "BJP will have Narendra at the Centre and Devendra in Maharashtra (Upar Narendra Rajya me Devendra)." 

 

Fadnavis and other party leaders will meet Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao post 6:30 pm to stake claim for forming a BJP government in the state. The governor will thereafter submit its recommendation to the Centre for lifting the Presidential Rule imposed last month.  

 

The swearing-in ceremony is slated for October 31 at 4 pm and it will be attended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union ministers, BJP-ruled states' chief ministers, members of various political parties, representatives of industry among others.

 

BJP has 121 members and its ally Rashtriya Samaj Party has one in the assembly. In addition to this, Nationalist Congress Party, with a strength of 41 members, has already extended support to the BJP-led government from outside. NCP chief Sharad Pawar has also said that his party will abstain during the vote of confidence in the assembly. 

 

Besides, about 11 independents have extended support to the BJP-led government.  

 

BJP's formal ally Shiv Sena, with 63 members, is expecting to get ministerial berths in the government. But BJP has not shown any willingness to do so. In that case, it may have to sit it out in the opposition.

 

The Congress party, with 42 members, has refused to support a Shiv Sena-led government to keep BJP at bay from forming the government. 

 

Earlier, Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari's names were doing the rounds for the post of CM. About 40 legislators from Vidharba were lobbying for Gadkari as CM despite him saying that he was 'happy in Delhi'.

Fadnavis creates history, supporters rejoice