One Drama, One Decision: Eknath Shinde to Take Oath as Deputy CM, What Led to the Change?

The one drama, the one decision: Eknath Shinde will take oath as Deputy CM; what led to the change?
Eknath Shinde, who had been reluctant to take the oath of Deputy Chief Minister, has decided to go ahead with it after intense pressure from Shiv Sena legislators who gathered at Shinde's residence earlier today to convince him to take up the position.

Initial doubts persisted over the last few hours with speculations surfacing that he would decline to take oath, especially over disagreements pertaining to the Home Ministry portfolio. In a meeting of the Mahayuti alliance on Wednesday evening, Shinde had indicated that he would arrive at a decision by the evening but made it amiss in coming clear on whether he would accept the Deputy CM post.

The crunch came with Shiv Sena leaders like Uday Samant stating that if Shinde did not take the oath, they would not join the cabinet either. Under mounting pressure from their party colleagues, Shinde finally gave in. The situation had been pending since Wednesday as Shinde had intimated that he would wait till Thursday afternoon before finalizing his stand.

Despite the earlier tension, Shinde, who had temporarily retreated to his native Satara, indicated that his loyalty lies with the decisions made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. And with his oath ceremony set for this evening, the big question remains whether he will be assigned the much-coveted Home Ministry, a portfolio he has been vying for.