Eknath Shinde kept all guessing till the last moment – Times of India

Deputy CM Eknath Shinde during the swearing-in ceremony

MUMBAI: Devendra Fadnavis’s letter to governor CP Radhakrishnan stating he would take oath at 5.30 pm as CM along with two deputy CMs reached Raj Bhavan only at 2.30 pm Thursday, barely three hours before the actual swearing-in, as there was uncertainty until afternoon about whether Eknath Shinde would agree to be sworn in as deputy CM.
Tension mounted in BJP camp in the absence of a letter from Shinde till Thursday morning; Shinde has been insisting on portfolios of his choice. However, in the morning, Shiv Sena’s Uday Samant, Bharat Gogawale, Ravi Phatak and Sanjay Shirsat persuaded him to join the government as deputy CM, stating that the row over allotment of portfolios could be resolved at a later stage. Following their marathon meeting, Shinde agreed to take oath as deputy CM and a letter signed by Shinde was given to Fadnavis.
It was then that Fadnavis sent his letter to the governor. Fadnavis could have sent his own name and that of Ajit Pawar on his own to the governor, but he waited for Shinde’s confirmation, sources said.
Atop bureaucrat told TOI that the oath-taking event was confirmed only after written communication was received from CM-designate Fadnavis stating he along with Shinde and Ajit would take oath.
Elaborating on what had happened earlier, the bureaucrat said that after the meeting of BJP legislature party Wednesday, a delegation comprising Shinde, Ajit and Fadnavis had called on the governor to stake claim for forma tion of the government. The delegation submitted a list of 237 MLAs supporting the Mahayuti. In addition, separate letters were given by BJP legislature party, Shiv Sena legislature party and NCP legislature party pledging support to Mahayuti government. Shinde and Ajit had earlier 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 Mahayuti legislature party. During the interaction with media in the presence of Fadnavis and Ajit, Shinde was non-committal on whether he would join Mahayuti government as deputy CM. “There is no hurry, media will know by evening,” Shinde had said when asked if he would take oath as deputy CM.
Sources said Shinde was hopeful he would get the portfolios of his choice and he was reluctant to join the government as deputy CM in the absence of any assurances in this regard.
“All formalities were completed after Raj Bhavan received Fadnavis’s letter around 2.30pm, and the oathtaking took place as scheduled. Certainly it was a piquant situation, but there was no embarrassment, and the event passed off peacefully,” the bureaucrat added.
Later at a presser, Fadnavis said about Shinde, “I am telling you 100% he wasn’t upset. Once I appealed to him, he accepted. When I was asked to be deputy CM after being CM, I was also reluctant. But I understood that without taking the post in an alliance government, there is a lack of coordination between the party & the government.”