With a significant difference, Eknath Shinde is now where Uddhav Thackeray was in 2019.

Who will be the future chief minister of Maharashtra is the major question that arises following the NDA's victory.

Mumbai: After suffering a crushing defeat in last year's Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti appears poised for a decisive victory four hours into the Maharashtra Assembly Elections vote count.

With 221 of 288 Assembly seats up for grabs, the Mahayuti has decisively defeated the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi, which is far behind with 56. The Mahayuti show is led by the BJP, which won 124 of the 148 seats it ran for. It has received strong backing from its partners, the NCP of Ajit Pawar and the Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde. Both have risen above their opposing factions under Uddhav's leadership.

Even if the Mahayuti side has a lot to rejoice about today, there are still issues that could arise. Additionally, these issues are comparable to those that surfaced following the 2019 Maharashtra election, which the NDA also won.

Who Will Serve as the Chief Minister?

Who will be the future chief minister of Maharashtra is the major question that arises following the NDA's victory. The Mahayuti alliance's pillar, the BJP, has the highest strike rate of any NDA ally. With senior leader Devendra Fadnavis as its obvious candidate, the party is expected to run for the position of chief minister in light of this. However, the Shinde Sena might backtrack and claim that the Mahayuti entered the election with Eknath Shinde as the government's spokesperson and that the state government's promises and policies were a major factor in the election's overwhelming mandate.

The BJP had previously taken a moral stand by resigning the Chief Minister position when the insurrection headed by Mr. Shinde overthrew the Uddhav Thackeray government and split the Shiv Sena. However, they might not be as giving this time around because they have more than 120 MLAs in their arsenal.

Additionally, this decision fosters a climate of hard bargaining over cabinet positions, since each of the three allies performs in their respective strongholds.

2019 Again?

It's interesting to note that the Maharashtra outcome might possibly produce a situation akin to the one that followed the election five years ago. The BJP secured 122 seats and the undivided Shiv Sena 63 in the 2019 state elections. Disagreements arose on the Chief Minister position following the results. The BJP denied any agreement for a rotating chief ministership, despite Uddhav Thackeray's claims to the contrary. One of the longest-lasting partnerships in the BJP's history came to an end when the Sena finally pulled the plug. Five years later, Maharashtra's political scene is much more crowded, with two Sena and NCP factions engaged in identity conflicts. And based on current statistics, the BJP and Eknath Shinde are in the same position as the BJP and Uddhav Thackeray were five years ago. The next question is whether Mr. Shinde would change his mind or if the BJP will face more difficulties as a result of this victory. Pushing for the Chief Minister position runs the risk of causing a schism in the partnership, and giving it up could be interpreted as a stepdown. However, compared to 2019, there is a significant difference. The BJP just needs one of its two allies to hit the key number, as Ajit Pawar's NCP is performing well. As it presses for any deal, the Shinde Sena will have this in mind.

In a cautious response to the Chief Minister's inquiry, Mr. Shinde addressed the media as the patterns indicated a definite NDA advantage. "We will sit and decide," he stated. He continued, "(Prime Minister Narendra) Modji is our senior."

The Subplot of Maha Vikas Aghadi
The shocking defeat of the Congress-led INDIA alliance, which had won 30 of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the national elections months prior, is a major story in this election. With the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar) leading in 19, 19, and 14 seats, respectively, the Maha Vikas Aghadi is currently leading in just 52 seats.

The Congress had fought hard to secure the best deal during seat-sharing, riding high on its impressive performance in the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress will be criticized and could be charged with tearing down the coalition if the opposition party is unable to turn these elections into victories. In terms of politics, it is a huge blow to Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar's struggle to define their party. As the breakaway factions score significantly higher than their camps, the two leaders, who have been attempting to rehabilitate after mutinies split their party, now face an identity crisis.

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