Eknath Shinde was reluctant to join Maharashtra govt sans assurances’ | Mumbai News

This delayed the government formation. Devendra Fadnavis became BJP legislature party chief. He convinced Shinde to join as Deputy CM.

Mumbai: Before Fadnavis was chosen BJP legislature party chief, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar had been elected as legislature party leaders of Sena and NCP respectively.
But in view of reservations expressed by Shinde over portfolios, no letter was given to Raj Bhavan stating Fadnavis would be leader of the Mahayuti legislature party.
During the interaction with media in the presence of Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Shinde was non-committal on whether he would join the Mahayuti govt as deputy CM. “There is no hurry, the media will know by evening,” Shinde had said when asked if he would take oath as deputy CM.
Sources said Shinde was still hopeful that he would get the portfolios of his choice and he was reluctant to join the govt as deputy CM in the absence of any assurances in this regard. “All formalities were completed after Raj Bhavan received Fadnavis’s letter at around 2.30pm, and the oath-taking ceremony took place as scheduled at 5.30pm. Certainly it was a piquant situation, but fortunately there was no embarrassment, and the event passed off peacefully,” the bureaucrat said.
Later in a press meet in the evening, Fadnavis said when asked about Shinde, “I am telling you 100% that he was not upset. There was more news of him being upset. Once I appealed to him, he immediately accepted. When I was asked to be the Deputy CM after being a CM, I was also reluctant. But then I understood that without taking the post in an alliance govt, there is a lack of coordination between the party and govt.”