Will Shrikant Shinde be Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister? What father Eknath said
NEW DELHI, DEC 1 : Eknath Shinde, caretaker Chief Minister of Maharashtra, on Sunday addressed speculation surrounding his son Shrikant Shinde being considered for the Deputy Chief Minister’s post, saying discussions were ongoing, and no decisions had been finalised.
Speaking at the press conference, Shinde said, “Discussions are still going on, and many people speak different things. Mainly, journalists hold these kinds of discussions. We had a meeting with Amit Shah, and another meeting will be held in Mumbai between me, Ajit Pawar, and Devendra Fadnavis. We will discuss things in detail, and then decisions will be finalised. We are answerable to the people. They have given us a huge mandate.”
The Mahayuti alliance secured a massive victory in the recently concluded Assembly elections, winning 230 of 288 seats. The BJP sprang up as the largest party with a record 132 seats, followed by Shinde Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP at 57 and 41 seats respectively.
Shinde dismissed claims of pressure politics and downplayed the importance of individual posts in the government. “After the exchange of thoughts, many questions will be resolved. People choose us because of our commitment to them. Who gets which post is not important. People voted for us, and it is our duty to fulfil our promises,” he said.
Highlighting the developmental work undertaken by his government in the past two and a half years, Shinde said welfare schemes like the Ladki Bahin Yojna had brought tangible benefits to the people. “We have implemented welfare schemes which have not been introduced before. This will be recorded in the history of Maharashtra,” he said.
Referring to his humble background, Shinde added, “I come to my village because I feel happy here. I come from a humble background and understand how people feel. That is why we created an ecosystem where every member of a family gets some benefit through our schemes. I have worked for people as a common man.”
On the leadership question, Shinde reiterated that decisions on the Chief Minister’s post would be made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. “I have taken earlier press conferences and clarified my stand. The Shiv Sena supports their decision,” he said.
Responding to opposition allegations of irregularities, he remarked, “The opposition only alleges when they lose. Now they are talking about EVMs.”
On Saturday, Sharad Pawar claimed that there are discrepancies in the votes counted through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMS) in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, but added that he has no proof to substantiate this allegation for now.
Shinde also provided a health update, saying, “My health is fine now. I came to my village to rest a bit. It was hectic during the elections.”
Earlier on Saturday, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced that the new government’s oath-taking ceremony will be held on December 5 in Mumbai.
-PTI
