BJP to announce CM candidate once Mahayuti decides on portfolios

The suspense over Maharashtra CM on Tuesday continued as sources in the BJP said that the party will only announce candidate once it decides on portfolio allocations the PTI reportedThe Bharatiya Janata Party BJP is taking a measured approach regarding the announcement of its chief ministerial candidate for Maharashtra the party will wait until the allocation of ministerial portfolios in the new state government is finalised before naming its candidate reported news agency PTI on TuesdayThe BJP emerged victorious after the Maharashtra assembly election result was announced on November 23The party won 132 seats while its coalition partners the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party NCP secured 57 and 41 seats respectivelyDespite the BJPs impressive win there seems to be a lack of consensus among the coalition partners about who should assume the chief ministers officeFollowing Eknath Shindes resignation as chief minister the Governor has appointed him to continue in a caretaker capacity This development has delayed the decisionmaking process of the next chief ministerThe central leadership is in no hurry to name a candidate for the chief ministers post We have secured a decisive mandate and the priority now is to work out a comprehensive plan for government formation That includes finalising ministerial portfolios and distribution of key posts such as district guardian ministers stated PTI quoting a state BJP leader who requested anonymityThis cautious approach aims to ensure unity within the Mahayuti coalition and prevent any discord that could arise from portfolio distributionElaborating another BJP insider cited the case of Mahendra Thorave an MLA from Raigad district who had opposed the appointment of NCPs Aditi Tatkare as district guardian minister earlier this year owing to the longstanding local rivalry stated PTIWe want to address such issues now ensuring that everyone is on the same page before moving forward he saidWith the states 288member assembly a Maharashtra cabinet can have a maximum of 43 ministers both cabinet and junior There are 36 districts and for a chief minister it becomes imperative that each of them gets representation stated PTIWith the ongoing parliamentary session the central leadership is stretched thin holding meetings with both Maharashtra BJP leaders and allies while also handling floor management in Parliament said a BJP leaderRegarding the announcement of the chief minister candidate the leader said The BJP central body will appoint an observer or a team of observers who will visit Mumbai They will meet the MLAs and senior party functionaries to finalise the cabinet formula Once that is done they will announce the partys choice for the leader of the legislative wing PTI statedFormer Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is viewed as a strong contender for the position especially after his prominent role in the election campaignHowever Shiv Sena leaders have expressed their preference for Shinde to remain in the role indicating ongoing negotiationsAjit Pawars Nationalist Congress Party which is the third player in Mahayuti is yet to open its cards regarding the chief minister candidateRecently senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal publicly stated that Fadnavis was acceptable to them This has strengthened the calls from several BJP leaders including newlyelected MLAs that Fadnavis should be the next CM the leader told PTIHowever the BJP remains careful as the final decision will be made only after the distributions of cabinet portfolios There is no rush Once the cabinet formula is finalised we will announce the candidate said the BJP leaderWith inputs from PTI