MAHARASHTRA CM DILEMMA: WHO WILL BJP PICK?

The possibility of the BJP installing its own man as CM looks more likely than not However, the question remains: Will that man be Fadnavis, or someone else?

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

The resounding victory of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in Maharashtra, in which the BJP won a staggering 133 of the 148 seats it contested, has shifted the spotlight to who the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra will be. The key question is whether the BJP will continue with the current arrangement of having Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena, who won 57 seats, remain as CM or bring in someone from within the party to replace him. A section within the party believes that if the BJP has to hold on to its position of the most prominent party of the state, then it should not shy away from having its own CM.

In wake of the BJP's strong performance, the NDA won on 231, leaving the I.N.D.I.A bloc gasping at 45 seats.

While the BJP and NDA's campaign focused on the development work carried out by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government, many BJP supporters and cadres believe that one of the primary reasons for the NDA's victory was the possibility of Devendra Fadnavis becoming the Chief Minister.