Virendra Singh
The last day of June witnessed a dramatic turn of events with the BJP surprising everyone by making rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
A bigger surprise came when Devendra Fadnavis, the former CM and the tallest BJP leader from Maharashtra, was asked to take oath as Deputy CM by the Central leadership of the party. The political drama unfolded on June 30 after noon when Shinde returned to Mumbai from Goa and called on Fadnavis at his residence. Both of them then called on the Governor and staked claim to form the Government.Around 4:30 pm they addressed reporters at the Raj Bhavan where Fadnavis announced that Shinde would be the next CM and he will not be a part of the Government. Almost an hour later, BJP President JP Nadda tweeted, saying Fadnavis should join the Government as the Deputy CM.
The BJP move, according to political observes, is aimed at sending a clear message that howsoever a big a leader, for the high command he will remain a disciplined soldier of the party. That explains the former CM’s act of joining as Shinde’s deputy despite his initial reluctance to do so.
