Sena leader Eknath Shinde is ill; he denies sulking over the Mahayuti impasse.

Eknath Shinde visited home Satara village after returning from Delhi, where he had discussions with Amit Shah and other BJP leaders over the upcoming Maharashtra chief ministerial position.

The Shiv Sena has denied rumors that its leader and acting chief minister, Eknath Shinde, is dissatisfied with the impasse over the Maharashtra chief minister's position and has thus cancelled a Mahayuti alliance meeting to visit his hometown. In addition to clarifying that Shinde was ill, the party stated that a meeting was probably scheduled for this Saturday.

After returning from Delhi, Shinde visited his birthplace of Satara, where he met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP officials on Thursday. This further delayed talks on portfolio allocation and the Chief Minister's position.

"He's not angry. He's not feeling good. Saying that he went there because he was upset is unfair. He declared that instead of crying, he would work for the state's advancement and well-being. Uday Samant, the departing state minister, stated that these forecasts were incorrect.

Eknath Shinde had previously said that Friday will be the day of the next alliance meeting on government formation in Mumbai.

He will be back tomorrow (Saturday), and meetings don't have to take place in person. Additionally, it can happen via mobile communication or video conferencing. Samant stated on Friday that the Maharashtra cabinet would be finalized shortly, as Eknath Shinde had stated.

The BJP emerged as the largest party with a record 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena-NCP coalition won 233 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections. The NCP and Shiv Sena both improved their standing, winning 41 and 57 seats, respectively. Nevertheless, the alliance has not yet chosen the next Chief Minister, even a week after the vote.

Eknath Shinde is reportedly demanding heavyweight portfolios like the Home Department and the position of Deputy Chief Minister, much like Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, who held the Home Ministry while holding the position of Deputy Chief Minister.

"All 60 MLAs have communicated to Shinde ji that we want him to be the Deputy Chief Minister," Samant stated. The choice will be made by Eknath Shinde ji himself.

Since he created the Ladli Behan Yojana, it is crucial that he stays in government. His participation in the government is therefore essential. "Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar will meet once more to discuss the cabinet expansion in detail," he continued.

Sanjay Shirsat, a close adviser to Shinde and the leader of the Shiv Sena, has previously implied that Eknath Shinde would decline the deputy chief ministership.

Sources claim that rather than taking a second-in-command role in the Mahayuti 2.0 government, Eknath Shinde is willing to take on the role of Convener of the Mahayuti.

However, the BJP is certain about Devendra Fadnavis being named chief minister. Shinde has made it clear time and time again that he would not stand in the way of the formation of a government and would follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recommendations over the Chief Minister position.