Maharashtra New CM 2024 Live Updates: 'Eknath Shinde will be back tomorrow, cabinet will be finalised soon', says Shiv Sena's Uday Samant

Maharashtra caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that discussions on the Chief Ministerial post will be finalized in an upcoming Mahayuti meeting in Mumbai. Speaking after a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda, Shinde described the talks as "good and positive."

“This was the first meeting. We had a discussion with Amit Shah and JP Nadda. There will be another meeting of the Mahayuti in Mumbai, where a decision will be taken about who will be the Chief Minister,” Shinde said.

The meeting follows the conclusion of the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections, where the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP group, emerged as the dominant bloc.

The upcoming meeting in Mumbai is expected to be crucial in determining the leadership structure of the state government.

As Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti is maintaining its silence over chief minister's name for Maharashtra even days after the result announcement, the opposition questioned, "What's stopping them"? Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday alleged the Mahayuti of depriving the people of Maharashtra of the promises made to them. Amid suspense over 'who will be the chief minister of Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis or Eknath Shinde?', Chaturvedi questioned why the announcement for the chief minister name has not been made yet and called Mahayuti "power-hungry".

A total of 118 MLAs, constituting 41% of the state’s newly elected legislative assembly members, face serious criminal charges. Among them, 3 are accused of murder, and 11 are charged with attempted murder, with attempt to murder cases, a report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the Maharashtra Election Watch has revealed.

The not-for-profit organisations could not find "clear and complete affidavits of two winning candidates (male) on the Election Commission of India website" for an analysis, it said. Average assets (movable and immovable) of each MLA this time are nearly two times — Rs 43.42 crore — those of their counterparts in 2019. The number of crorepatis has reached 97%, which is the highest so far, and out of these MLAs, 163 have declared wealth worth more than Rs 10 crore, the report said.

Shaina NC, a Shiv Sena leader, criticised former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, stating that the public has responded decisively to those who abandoned their principles for power. In her statement to ANI on Thursday, she emphasised that Mahayuti would continue its work for the state's residents.

Following the Mahayuti alliance's victory in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, she questioned MVA's relevance. The winning alliance comprises her party, the BJP, and Ajit Pawar's NCP. She noted that Uddhav Thackeray's departure from MVA was inconsequential.

"What is left of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is the question. Whether you leave or don't leave, it doesn't make a difference. Do understand this Tsunami and the mandate that has come to the Mahayuti is based on good governance. Not just pushing false narratives and blabbering on television, which seems to be the narrative of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). Mahayuti is here to stay and to work in the interest of the people of Maharashtra. For all those who lost their ideology and threw it away for power, the public has given a befitting answer to them," Shaina NC told news agency ANI.

Has the stage been set for reversal of roles between BJP's Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde in Maharashtra? Well, caretaker chief minister Shinde on Wednesday dropped enough hints about a change of guard in Mahayuti even though he did not say that in as many words.

Shinde on Wednesday addressed a press conference to announce that "he is not an obstacle in formation of new government" and he will "abide by the decision of Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah on the CM pick." "You (PM Modi) are the head of our family. The way people of BJP accept your decision, we will also accept your decision in the same way. I made a phone call to PM Modi and HM Amit Shah yesterday and told them that there will be no problem in forming the government because of me," Shinde said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Mahayuti alliance over the uncertainty surrounding Maharashtra's chief ministerial position. Sena leader Sanjay Raut pointed out that unlike previously, the Bharatiya Janata Party now makes decisions about the state's future in Delhi.

Speaking to reporters, Raut questioned why the Bharatiya Janata Party, despite having approximately 140 legislators and a clear majority, has not appointed a chief minister for Maharashtra after seven days. "What is going on internally? We believe that if you have a majority, you should decide on a chief inister within 24 hours, regardless of the party. Why is it so difficult for Modi, Shah, and their leaders to decide on a party's chief minister? The public wants to know. They say they will do whatever Modi says, but what other options did they have? It's very unfortunate. They invoke Balasaheb Thackeray's name and do politics in Shiv Sena's name, but decisions about its future are made in Delhi. The future of Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena was never decided in Delhi; it was decided in Mumbai. We never went to Delhi. There were leaders like Atal Ji and Advani Ji, but we never begged in front of them to make decisions about Shiv Sena. We make our own decisions under Uddhav Thackeray's leadership," he said.