Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) newly-appointed state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will be the next chief minister of Maharashtra, raising eyebrows in the political corridors and leading to uneasiness in the Eknath Shinde camp.
Bawankule, who was speaking in Akola on Saturday evening, said that Fadnavis was the only person with the capacity to lead the state on the path of development. “The reports that Fadnavis is going to Delhi have no substance. He is not going anywhere. He will be the chief minister of the state representing the BJP-Sena alliance. He is the only leader who has the vision and leadership quality to take the state on a path of development,” he said.
Bawankule also clarified that no other leader (from the party) can compete with Fadnavis in the race to the post.
The clarification came in response to the report that Fadnavis is expected to be given responsibility at the Centre. Fadnavis has recently been inducted into the party’s national parliamentary boards by dropping union minister Nitin Gadkari and others. It also has the background of union minister Nitin Gadkari’s statement that Bawankule can be the next CM of Maharashtra. In a function in Nagpur on August 14, Gadkari had said, “Bawankule could be next CM of the state if Fadnavis is elevated to the Centre.”
However, Bawankule’s remarks created discomfort in the Shinde camp, as it would mean that after the 2024-assembly polls, the camp may have to give up the post. “Bawankule’s statement makes it clear that Shinde may not continue as the CM after the 2024 polls. The next CM is expected from the party winning the highest seats, if BJP fights the polls in alliance,” said an MLA from Shinde camp, under conditions of anonymity.
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