India, Oct. 19 -- Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, who was disappointed at being denied a second term as chief minister despite leading the Mahayuti alliance to victory in the 2024 assembly polls, on Saturday hinted at his desire to return to the top post.

At a Navratri celebration in Dombivli, after a priest prayed for Shinde's return as chief minister, the Shiv Sena chief said, "Prayers offered to the goddess come true and wishes are fulfilled."

The Mahayuti alliance contested the 2024 assembly election under the leadership of then chief minister Eknath Shinde, and he was confident that he would get a second term as chief minister. But after the BJP won 132 seats, it denied another term to Shinde, whose party Shiv Sena bagged only...