"Shinde era is over, will never be CM again" says Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut

Sanjay Raut's remark came after the incumbent Mahayuti alliance picked Devendra Fadnavis to be the next CM and offered the outgoing CM Eknath Shinde the post of deputy CM, following their historic win in Maharashtra.

Raut claimed that Shinde was 'used' by the Bharatiya Janata Party and now "has been tossed aside."

"Shinde era is over, it was just for two years. His usage is now over and he has been tossed aside. Shinde will never be the CM of this state again. They (BJP) can even break Shinde's party, this has always been BJP's line in politics. They break and finish the party of those who work with them," Raut said.

Raut further questioned the delay in revealing the CM of Maharashtra despite having a clear majority. He suggested something was wrong within the Mahayuti alliance.

"Devendra Fadnavis will be the CM of the state from today. He has the majority but despite that, they were unable to form the Government for 15 days - it means that there is something wrong within their party or Mahayuti. This issue will start showing from tomorrow," Raut said.

Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai today.

Two deputy chief ministers, NCP leader Ajit Pawar and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, will also be sworn in at the ceremony in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The decision came after days of speculation and political manoeuvring as Eknath Shinde wanted to become the chief minister of Maharashtra. However, the BJP, refused to budge and later, Shinde said he would back the PM Modi's pick.

The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 witnessed a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance, securing a landslide win with 235 seats. The results marked a significant milestone for the BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats.

The Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party also made notable gains, with 57 and 41 seats, respectively.

While, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a major setback with Congress winning just 16 seats. Its alliance partner, Shiv Sena (UBT), won 20 seats, while the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) secured only 10 seats. (ANI)