Shrikant Shinde, Shiv Sena MP from Kalyan and son of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has announced that he will not be joining the state government and will instead continue to focus on party work and his constituency. Writing on X.com, Shrikant Shinde addressed the rumours, stating that he had previously declined an opportunity to work in the union cabinet after the Lok Sabha polls, prioritising party work instead. "I am not in the race for any ministership," he wrote.
"The swearing-in ceremony of the Maha-Yuti government has been delayed, leading to increased speculation and rumours. Caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde needed to rest at his native place for two days due to health issues, which has only intensified the rumours. There have been speculations about me becoming the Deputy Chief Minister, but these news reports are baseless and unfounded," he stated on X.com.
Interestingly, the BJP has announced that the oath-taking ceremony for the new Mahayuti government will take place on December 5 in the evening at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending. However, the BJP legislature party meeting to elect its leader—the party’s Chief Ministerial pick—has yet to be held, despite Shiv Sena and NCP allies already electing their leaders.The Mahayuti won 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The BJP led by winning 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena got 57 and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) bagged 41 seats.