Mumbai:
Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister elect of Maharashtra who met Governor CP Radhakrishnan and staked claim to form government today, provided nuggets of his last evening’s meeting with Eknath Shinde that airbrushed the recent logjam over government formation and sealed the deal. Appearing before the media after the meeting with the Governor, both played down the two-week gap in the naming of the Chief Minister.
Giving “special thanks” to Eknath Shinde, Mr Fadnavis said, “Yesterday I requested Eknath Shinde to remain in the cabinet… which he has accepted… The Chief Minister post is just a technical agreement between us… we have been together to take decisions and will continue to do so”.
“Two-and-a-half year ago, Fadnavis recommended my name to become the Chief Minister. This time, we recommend his name to become the Chief Minister,’ Mr Shinde said.
Today’s meeting with the Governor comes shortly after the BJP ended the long-drawn suspense over the Chief Minister post, naming Mr Fadnavis for the position.
Mr Fadnavis, who was accompanied by allies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar for the meeting, said: “We have submitted a claim to form a new cabinet in the state as per the rules. After the Governor accepted the claim, we have been given the time for the oath ceremony on December 5 at 5.30 pm, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.
The decision on the cabinet and portfolios will be taken this evening, he added.
