During a meeting with the central leadership in Delhi, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra's caretaker Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde reportedly requested that if it was not possible to grant him a full-term Chief Ministership, he should at least be appointed as the state's Chief Minister for the first six months. A veteran politician shared this information in a report by The Times of India, though the newspaper did not reveal the source's name.
According to the TOI report, the BJP leadership rejected Shinde's proposal, stating that it would set a bad precedent. The BJP officials emphasised that there is no system of appointing a Chief Minister for a limited six-month term. "Such a decision would be problematic and could have negative repercussions," one of them reportedly stated.
The meeting took place on November 8, a day after Shinde publicly expressed his willingness to accept the central leadership's decision on the Chief Ministerial post and declared that he would not create any obstacles in forming the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra.
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The veteran politician revealed that Shinde initially reminded the BJP leadership of the promises made to him during the Lok Sabha elections and ahead of the Assembly polls. He was reportedly assured that if the alliance secured a clear majority, he would retain the Chief Minister's position.
However, his request to remain as CM was rejected by the BJP's central committee. The committee argued that it would be unfair to grant Shinde the Chief Ministership when the BJP had secured "a clear majority" in the 288-member Assembly. In the recently concluded Assembly elections, the BJP won 132 seats, while the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction and Ajit Pawar's NCP together secured 57 seats.