THE AJIT Pawar-led NCP will be happy with the Mahayuti’s decision to go with Devendra Fadnavis as the new chief minister of the coalition government, having already indicated him as its preferred choice over Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde.

Ajit Pawar and Fadnavis share a good equation, going back to the time when the two came together in 2019 to form a government, though that lasted less than 80 hours after the NCP leader developed cold feet.

The NCP realises that having Fadnavis as CM places the party largely on a par with the Sena in the Mahayuti equation. With 132 seats, the BJP is far ahead, and both the Sena (57 seats) and NCP (41) distant second. Besides, like Shinde, Ajit has proved his worth in the polls by besting his former mentor in control of their parties.

Monday’s decision reflects this, with Shinde and Ajit set to share power as Deputy CMs, under CM Fadnavis.

If Shinde had been made the CM, on the other hand, the Sena would have had a clear edge over the NCP, leaving Ajit’s role unclear. Given the seat difference, the NCP could hardly have demanded the same position as the BJP in the government.

NCP leaders said that, at internal meetings, there was consensus on backing Fadnavis. Senior NCP leader Chaggan Bhujbal said: “There is no reason why we should oppose Fadnavis as CM.”

An NCP spokesperson said the party had clearly conveyed to the BJP leadership that Fadnavis should be “the first preference” as CM.

The NCP would also have been nervous of a Mahayuti government where the BJP and Sena were the senior partners, as ideologically, the latter two are much closer. After the Assembly election success, the BJP and Sena are expected to double down on the Hindutva narrative. The NCP’s reservations about this during the poll campaign, with eye on its Muslim votes, had not cut much ice with its partners.

Now, beyond the CM post, the Mahayuti has to figure out power-sharing in the new government. Both the Sena and NCP will try to extract as many powerful portfolios as they can for their parties, with the BJP reportedly set to keep at least half the ministries.

The Maharashtra Council of Ministers cannot exceed 43 members.

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