Fadnavis meets Eknath Shinde on eve of BJP's legislature party meeting

Mumbai: Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday evening met Maharashtra’s caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his official residence in Mumbai, a day ahead of the BJP's legislature party meeting.

The visit comes hours after Shinde returned from a private hospital following a health check-up.

The legislature party of the state BJP will meet at Vidhan Bhawan on Wednesday morning to elect its leader, a day ahead of the swearing-in of the new Mahayuti government at an open ground in south Mumbai.

Fadnavis, seen as the frontrunner for the top post in the new BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government, met Shinde at the latter's official residence `Varsha'.

It was the first face-to-face meeting between Fadnavis and Shinde after the duo, along with NCP chief Ajit Pawar, met the top BJP leadership in Delhi last week.

Preparations for the oath-taking ceremony scheduled to be held at Azad Maidan on the evening of December 5 are in full swing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, about 2,000 VVIPs and some 40,000 supporters will attend the event.

Shinde, who had been staying at his private residence in Thane for the last few days, visited the hospital in the morning. "I came for a check-up. My health is in good condition," he told reporters while leaving the hospital for `Varsha'.

A doctor said Shinde had throat issues. "The CM had a fever and infection, which caused weakness. He also underwent an MRI scan as a precautionary measure," he said.

Shinde, whose party, Shiv Sena, is a constituent of the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition, has been unwell for the last few days. His decision to head to his village in Satara district last Friday had sparked speculation that he was unhappy over the way the new government was shaping up.

Following the BJP-led Mahayuti's landslide victory in the November 20 elections, the new Maharashtra government will be sworn in on Thursday.

The legislature party of the state BJP will meet at Vidhan Bhawan on Wednesday morning to elect its leader.

However, there were indications that the distribution of portfolios among the three allies might not be a smooth process. Sena leaders on Monday said that as per the "convention" of alliance politics, their party should get the home portfolio if the CM post went to the BJP.

NCP chief Ajit Pawar, meanwhile, may meet Union minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Tuesday evening, a senior party leader said. State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare was responding to a question about reports that Pawar had sought a meeting with the senior BJP leader.

No appointment had been sought as such, Tatkare clarified.

The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party is part of the Mahayuti along with the BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that Shinde was "sulking and throwing tantrums" at Fadnavis with the backing of the "superpower in Delhi", an apparent reference to the BJP's top brass.

BJP leader Prasad Lad, meanwhile, announced that the swearing-in ceremony will be a grand affair with nearly 42,000 attendees.

Speaking to reporters outside the official residence of Fadnavis, Lad said, "PM Modi, nine to ten Union ministers, and 19 chief ministers and deputy chief ministers will attend the ceremony. It will be telecast live across the state wherever LED screens are available."

Special arrangements have been made to accommodate 40,000 BJP supporters and a separate seating arrangement made for 2,000 VVIPs, including leaders from various religions, Lad added.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, appointed as central observers for the BJP legislature party meeting, are expected to reach Mumbai on Tuesday evening.

The BJP alone won 132 of the 288 seats in the November 20 Maharashtra elections, its best-ever performance in the state.

When asked whether Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray would be invited to the event, Lad said, "As a former chief minister, Thackeray will be invited by the General Administration Department as per the protocol. It is up to him to attend or to demonstrate his shallowness by skipping it. Similarly, Sharad Pawar, also a former chief minister, will be invited."

Meanwhile, a section of residents at Markadwadi village in Malshrias assembly segment who were seeking "re-election” using ballot papers gave up their plan on Tuesday after intervention by police and administration, said NCP (SP) leader Uttam Jankar who won the seat.

State Congress president Nana Patole alleged that officials used police to block villagers under BJP's pressure, raising serious concerns about the credibility of EVMs.