A DAY after the landslide victory, the Mahayuti partners have internally started a discussion about the Government formation, and as per sources, a formula of 21-12-10 based on the number of seats won is being worked upon. Mahayuti has won a record 230 seats of which 132 were won by the BJP, Shiv Sena 57 and NCP 41. Sources said the parties have arrived at the probable formula of 21-12-10 for the induction of ministers in the new Cabinet. Of the total 43 ministers, BJP will have a lion’s share with 21 ministers, 12 to Shiv Sena and 10 to NCP. The Mahayuti has held a preliminary discussion on the Cabinet formula and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar are expected to visit Delhi to discuss with the BJP’s Central leadership, including Home Minister Amit Shah. Sources said that the ministerial posts would be distributed pointed out that the Congress’ State unit chief Nana Patole managed to win with a wafer thin margin of around 200 votes in Sakoli seat. The BJP-led Mahayuti, which also comprises the Shiv Sena of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and NCP of deputy CM Ajit Pawar, on Saturday retained power in the State by bagging 230 of the 288 Assembly seats.

 

The Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi’s dream of wresting power fizzled, with the Opposition combine managing to garner just 46 seats. The BJP bagged 132 seats, the Shiv Sena won 57, while the NCP got 41 seats. In the MVA, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidates won 10 seats, Congress won 16, while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) won 20 seats. Answering a query on the State’s next Chief Minister, Bawankule said the decision would be taken by the Mahayuti leaders and the BJP’s parliamentary board. The selection process would be in-line with the alliance’s plans for governance, he added. Notably, the Mahayuti’s landslide in Maharashtra will leave the State Assembly without a leader of Opposition as no party outside the ruling alliance has been able to get the mandatory minimum 29 seats. Bawankule referred to the Congress’ previous successes, particularly in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, claiming the Opposition party had been misleading the people. “The Congress succeeded in fooling the people during the Lok Sabha campaign, but it failed to repeat that success in this Assembly election,” he said.

 

Targeting Patole, he said the Congress leader was dreaming of becoming the Chief Minister, but he has just about managed to win his seat with the help of postal votes. “If he does not learn a lesson from this outcome, he may not be there in the House after the next Assembly poll,” Bawankule said.

The Maharashtra BJP chief said the party plans to launch a major membership drive in the State. “Our goal is to enrol 1.51 crore primary members. We want individuals active in the social and religious sectors to join. This will aid in expanding our membership. The newly inducted members will gain insight into Government schemes and policies, thereby fortifying our presence in the State,” he said. Asked about Islamic scholar Sajjad Nomani’s reported appeal to Muslims to vote for the MVA and his subsequent apology, Bawankule said some individuals tried to divide society on religious lines to target the BJP.

 

“These tactics appeared to have worked in their (Opposition) favour in the Lok Sabha polls. But when the public recognised that the Congress had aligned itself with such divisive figures to hinder the BJP’s return to power, their sentiments shifted. The efforts of the Congress and other Opposition parties fell flat,” he said. With people giving a decisive mandate after rejecting such designs, Nomani’s apology holds no significance now, the BJP leader said. “The people of Maharashtra chose to stand by the ‘ek hai toh safe hai’ motto advocated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he asserted. Acknowledging Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s popularity among Maharashtra voters, Bawankule said there was tremendous demand for the former’s rallies, including on the final day of campaigning on November 18. However, these requests could not be fulfilled as Adityanath had rallies scheduled in Jharkhand, where the second phase of Assembly polls were held on November 20. Be it Lok Sabha polls or State elections, the demand for Adityanath’s rallies is very high, Bawankule said.

 

 

MAHARASHTRA BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday, said leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the BJP leadership will decide who will be the next Chief Minister of the State. Addressing a press conference here, Bawankule said all sections of the society supported the BJP in the Maharashtra Assembly polls and rejected the Congress. He