Devendra Fadnavis in Delhi: Wedding Over Politics Amid Maharashtra CM Speculation

Devendra Fadnavis Visits Delhi for Wedding, Not Politics

Devendra Fadnavis, a leading candidate for the Chief Minister position in Maharashtra, visited Delhi today. This visit raised speculation about a meeting with central leaders to discuss the Chief Minister role. However, Fadnavis clarified that he is in Delhi to attend the wedding of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter and has no political meetings planned. He is expected to return to Mumbai later tonight, ahead of Union Minister Amit Shah’s visit on Tuesday.

Since the assembly election results were released, there has been uncertainty about who will be the next Chief Minister. Although Fadnavis is a strong contender, the Shiv Sena party prefers its leader, Eknath Shinde, to remain in office. Shiv Sena leaders argue that Shinde deserves to continue because his initiatives contributed to the coalition’s electoral success.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Naresh Mhaske referred to the “Bihar model,” suggesting that Shinde should be allowed to continue as Chief Minister, similar to how the BJP supported Nitish Kumar in Bihar despite the BJP’s own strong performance. The party’s MLAs have expressed support for Shinde’s continuation.

The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) may back Fadnavis for the Chief Minister position, which could shift support towards the BJP. Since the results came out, leaders from the ruling coalition have discussed a joint decision on this matter.

Under Fadnavis’s leadership, the BJP won a record 132 seats in the assembly. The Shiv Sena faction led by Shinde secured 57 seats, and the NCP faction won 41, giving their alliance, Mahayuti, a total of 230 seats out of 288 in the assembly.