MUMBAI: The Ajit Pawar-led NCP will be satisfied with the Mahayuti’s decision to appoint Devendra Fadnavis as the new Chief Minister of the coalition government, as they had already indicated their preference for him over Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde.
Ajit Pawar and Fadnavis have a positive relationship, dating back to their 2019 attempt to form a government, even though it lasted less than 80 hours due to Pawar’s change of mind.
The NCP sees Fadnavis’ leadership as helping place them on par with the Sena in the Mahayuti alliance. Despite the BJP’s large seat advantage, the NCP stands to gain more influence with Fadnavis as CM, especially compared to a scenario with Shinde in charge.
If Shinde had become CM, the Sena would have had a stronger position, making Ajit Pawar’s role uncertain. With the current arrangement, Pawar’s NCP can demand more influence and has internally backed Fadnavis’ candidacy.
Additionally, the NCP is cautious of a BJP-Sena dominance in the government, given the ideological alignment between those two parties. With the Assembly election success behind them, the BJP and Sena are expected to focus more on the Hindutva narrative. The NCP, wary of losing Muslim support, had raised concerns about this, though these did not significantly impact the broader coalition discussions.
Looking ahead, the Mahayuti coalition will have to negotiate power-sharing within the government, with both the Sena and NCP striving to secure as many influential portfolios as possible, while the BJP is expected to retain a substantial portion of the ministries.
