Mumbai: A key Mahayuti meeting scheduled on Friday was put off and likely to take place on Sunday now as outgoing Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde headed to his native village, delaying government formation a week after poll results.The ruling alliance's meeting was expected to be convened in Mumbai on Sunday, said sources in the Shiv Sena, which is headed by Shinde.
Leaders of the BJP, the largest Mahayuti constituent, said they were awaiting arrival of central observers for the legislature party meeting.
The swearing-in of the new government is expected to take place next week, the sources said.
Shinde, speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Thursday night, had said talks with Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on government formation were positive and the next round of discussions will be held in Mumbai on Friday.
However, BJP sources maintained no gathering of Mahayuti leaders was scheduled for Friday.
During his Delhi trip, Shinde had met Shah and discussed formation of the next government in the state. His deputies in the outgoing state cabinet Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) and Ajit Pawar (NCP) had also met the senior BJP leader.
Shinde returned to Mumbai on Friday morning and according to Shiv Sena sources, he left for his native village Dare in Satara district in western Maharashtra in the evening.
Shinde was at the Chief Minister's official residence 'Varsha' in South Mumbai where he met a stream of visitors, including party leaders and MLAs.
The Shiv Sena leader has repeatedly said he would not be an obstacle in the government formation and abide by the decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah on the next chief minister.
Different viewpoints are emerging in the Shiv Sena over Shinde's place in the next government after the BJP-led Mahayuti posted a thumping win in the just-held assembly polls.
Many leaders in the Shiv Sena are asking Shinde to accept deputy CM's post if offered by the BJP. However, another section feels it wouldn't be right for him to accept No. 2 position after serving as CM for more than two-and-a-half years, the sources said.
BJP MLAs haven't got any intimation about a legislature party meeting, where they will elect their leader.
Fadnavis also returned to Mumbai on Friday after meeting Shah in Delhi over government formation.
State BJP leaders held informal discussions and sources said the state unit was awaiting arrival of central observers.
Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar had also met BJP president J P Nadda and Shah on late Thursday to thrash out a power-sharing pact for the next government in Maharashtra.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat said if Shinde doesn't accept the deputy CM's post in the new government, then it will be given to someone from their party.
Talking to reporters, Shirsat said Shinde will certainly not go to the Centre as a Union minister.
"If Shinde does not accept the deputy CM's post, then some other leader from our party will get it. He (Shinde) will take a call on this by evening, said Shirsat, who retained his Aurangabad assembly West seat.
Shirsat's party colleague Shamburaj Desai said their MLA-elects and party workers strongly feel that Shinde should be a part of the new government.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said he hoped that if Fadnavis returns as chief minister, he will erase the tag of doing "politics of revenge" he had been associated with.
"He will have a free hand (as CM) as crutches will be dependent on him and not vice-versa. I hope (as CM) he works for Vidarbha as he is son of the soil (Fadnavis is an MLA from Nagpur)," he said.
"Politics is an ideological fight and not a personal battle," the Congress leader asserted.
In the just-held polls to the 288-member assembly, the BJP won 132 seats, followed by its allies Shiv Sena (57) and NCP (41).
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