Caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde all but conceded his claim for the top job on Wednesday, saying he left the decision to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, paving the way for the Bharatiya Janata Party to name its chief ministerial candidate.

Eknath Shinde might not become deputy CM. He was the chief minister in the previous government. Shinde's aide said the position is not suitable for him. He will, however, join the cabinet. Shinde's Shiv Sena will choose another leader for the deputy CM role.

Hours after Maharashtra's caretaker chief minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said he would accept whatever the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership decides on the next CM of the state, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve said the BJP does not function under pressure from its ally and takes decisions independently.

Maharashtra caretaker Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde said Wednesday that he had told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he will not pose any hurdles in the formation of the new state government.

Eknath Shinde, who served as chief minister in the outgoing Maharashtra government, is unlikely to accept the post of deputy CM in the new dispensation, his close aide Sanjay Shirsat said on Thursday.

Shrikant Shinde, son of Eknath Shinde, said his father was setting an example of following the "alliance dharma" by setting aside personal ambition.

The first thing the BJP can do beyond negotiating with the Sena leadership about its demand for portfolio is talking where Sena’s interest lies — the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), whose election is due next year.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party's central leadership of pressuring Eknath Shinde to give up his claim on the post of the state's chief minister.