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DNA Special: Why BJP decided to back Eknath Shinde as Maharashtra CM and not Devendra Fadnavis

In a big unprecedented decision, Eknath Shinde was appointed the CM of Maharashtra, while Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Deputy CM.

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Today was a significant day in the political scene of Maharashtra and all of India, as Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde was appointed as the chief minister of the state after staging a rebellion against the MVA alliance and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.

In the super thriller political film of Maharashtra, there was a big twist when Eknath Shinde was announced as the chief minister over seasoned BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who has a stronghold in Maharashtra politics. Fadnavis had further announced that he would not be a part of the government. However, in a major U-turn, the BJP leader has later appointed the deputy CM of Maharashtra.

Since then, the buzz has intensified saying that Devendra Fadnavis was not happy with not being appointed as the CM of Maharashtra. Though this decision by the BJP is unprecedented, there are five major implications of Eknath Shinde’s appointment as CM over Fadnavis.

Firstly, by making Eknath Shinde the Chief Minister, the BJP has directly attacked nepotism and dynasty politics. When Congress and the NCP formed a coalition government with the Shiv Sena, the Thackeray family bagged the chief minister's post in the MVA government. Uddhav Thackeray became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, following the legacy of his father Balasaheb Thackeray.

Meanwhile, when BJP joined hands with the rebel faction of Shiv Sena, the CM post in Maharashtra was given to Eknath Shinde, who is a leader associated with the land, thus ending the era of dynasty politics in the state.

Secondly, by making Shinde the new chief minister of Maharashtra, BJP showed that it has no greed for power or a post. BJP has tried to prove that it can work in the background of a government and still make a change in the state.

Thirdly, this decision by the Bhartiya Janta Party has sent a message among the people of Maharashtra that the tussle in the Shiv Sena is the result of internal politics and not the Centre. If Fadnavis would have been appointed as the CM of the state, then BJP might have sent the indication that the toppling of MVA was a power grab move by the party.

The fourth reason is that with Eknath Shinde becoming the Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray's claim on the Shiv Sena will be further reduced. As BJP has formed an alliance with the rebel leaders of Shiv Sena, Eknath Shinde can emerge as the new leader of the party. This means that the Shiv Sena will slip out of the hands of the Thackeray government, leaving them neither in the government nor in the opposition.

The fifth and final reason behind this decision of the BJP is that they wanted to send a message to the people of Maharashtra. Through this message, the party wanted to show that if the people of the state want a stable government, then there is no better choice than the BJP.

Though Eknath Shinde becoming the Chief Minister of Maharashtra was big news, people focused more on Devendra Fadnavis accepting the post of Deputy CM in the state, which is being perceived as a step down for the BJP leader. The BJP has the highest number of leaders in Maharashtra, and Devendra Fadnavis has already been the CM of the state once before. Through Shinde’s appointment as CM, the BJP wanted to show that the party doesn’t belong to one leader or one family.

READ | ‘Devendra Fadnavis wasn’t happy accepting Deputy CM post’: Sharad Pawar says BJP leader ‘followed orders’

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