Mumbai: The early trends on Saturday showed the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition poised to return to power with a larger mandate. According to the Election Commission's provisional data, the alliance was ahead in 220 seats, leaving the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadai way behind in 60 seats.

With the alliance winning, political circles in Mumbai have been asking about the next chief minister. Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde has been the CM ever since his camp joined the Mahayuti, while former CM Devendra Fadnavis and NCP's Ajit Pawar have been deputy CMs.

This equation is likely to change depending on the number of seats for each alliance partner. BJP, which played second fiddle in the coalition, may change tunes after the polls.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat said that since Shinde led the election, he would be the natural pick for the CM post.

However, the BJP camp is not likely to sit idle this time around. BJP's Pravin Darekar openly campaigned for Fadnavis, saying all alliance partners will decide the CM together.

These voices are likely to grow loud once the numbers become clear. Earlier, Fadnavis met RSS sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat, sparking rumours that he was trying to get Sangh's endorsement for his CM post.

Reports suggested that the BJP would not surrender its leverage to claim the chief minister's seat. However, analysts have not dismissed the chances of a realignment in the alliances, with the likelihood of disgruntled Shiv Sena and NCP leaving Mahayuti.

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