NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant on Thursday said that no party MLA would be a part of the new BJP-led Mahayuti government if Eknath Shinde did not take oath as the deputy chief minister.
“If Eknath Shinde does not accept the deputy CM’s post, no MLA from Shiv Sena will accept any responsibility in the government,” Samant said.
“We have made it very clear to Shinde that he must become deputy chief minister in the new government,” he added.
Earlier today, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also warned of cracks in the Mahayuti government, which he said would “start showing from tomorrow.”
“Devendra Fadnavis will be the CM of the state from today. He has the majority but despite that, they were unable to form the Government for 15 days – it means that there is something wrong within their party or Mahayuti. This issue will start showing from tomorrow,” he said.
This comes a day after the outgoing CM showed reluctance on the question of taking oath alongside Ajit Pawar as the deputy CM.
When reporters asked Eknath Shinde if he would take the oath as deputy chief minister alongside Ajit Pawar in the new Mahayuti 2.0 government, the Shiv Sena leader responded, “Wait till evening… .” However, Ajit Pawar quickly interjected, confirming that he would definitely take the oath with Fadnavis.
After Devendra Fadnavis was unanimously selected by the BJP leaders for the Maharashtra top post, Samant had expressed that “all party workers feel that their leader must be on the top post. We are not unhappy. In fact, we are congratulating Fadnavis.”
Meanwhile, Fadnavis is set to be sworn in as the new chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening at a ceremony, which would be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Fadnavis will take the oath alongside two deputy chief ministers, with BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar confirming the announcement earlier in the day.