The wait for Maharashtra's next Chief Minister is nearing its end as the three key leaders of the ruling alliance—Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar—met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. The meeting, which concluded late at night, is expected to be the final step before an official announcement. Sources suggest that the decision is now almost finalized and will only require a sign-off from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The developments come a day after Eknath Shinde expressed his willingness to follow the BJP leadership's decision for the top post, clearing the way for Fadnavis, widely seen as the front-runner. Shinde emphasized that he had no personal ambitions regarding the position and would accept whatever decision was made by the central leadership.

The BJP's internal discussions are also focused on addressing some challenges, such as caste dynamics. As the majority of the 288 MLAs belong to the Maratha community, there have been concerns about Fadnavis, who hails from the Brahmin community. This issue had created tension during the 2014 elections. Sources suggest that Amit Shah consulted senior leader Vinod Tawde to resolve this matter.

In addition to the CM post, there are discussions about Shinde's role, with options including him serving as a deputy CM in Maharashtra or taking up a position at the Centre. Sena sources had earlier indicated that Shinde would be part of the state cabinet.

The cabinet's structure is also under consideration, with reports indicating that out of a maximum of 42 ministers, the BJP could hold 22 ministries, the Shiv Sena 12, and Ajit Pawar's NCP 10. This distribution reflects the seat-sharing agreement and the BJP's dominant position in the alliance after securing 132 seats in the recent elections.