Two days after Eknath Shinde took oath as deputy chief minister to Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant has dropped a big revelation that the former Maharashtra chief minister was reluctant to cede the top post to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the party’s landslide in the Assembly elections. Uday Samant said Eknath Shinde was not happy with the deputy chief minister’s post that was offered to him.
Eknath Shinde, instead, wanted to focus on on building his party. But the Shiv Sena chief relented due to the demand of the party leaders, Uday Samant said.
“Eknath Shinde was not interested in becoming deputy CM. Party MLAs and leaders insisted that he should be part of the government because it is his responsibility to ensure that the schemes he launched are taken forward,” Uday Samant told reporters.
After the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, December 5, Eknath Shinde spoke to Shiv Sena leaders at the party office and said that he wanted to build the organisation but “honoured” their request.
Two weeks after the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition registered a massive victory in the Assembly elections, Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister while Eknath Shinde took oath as his deputy, ending the uncertainty over the outgoing chief minister’s role in the new Mahayuti government. Ajit Pawar also took the oath as the deputy chief minister.
Not just the party workers, Devendra Fadnavis, too, reportedly requested Eknath Shinde that he should join the new government as deputy CM, Samant said.
“Devendra Fadnavis personally requested Eknath Shinde to join the government. Eknath Shinde respected the request…. Shinde made a massive contribution to Maharashtra [during his tenure as CM]. It was necessary that he join the government for the sake of the state’s people and his followers. He was thinking that he should make somebody else deputy CM and he himself should work to increase the party’s strength. We flatly rejected this proposal,” Uday Samant said.
