India, Oct. 22 -- With three years to go before the next assembly elections, the battle over who should be Maharashtra's next chief minister has already begun within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, with the Shiv Sena and BJP staking their claims. Sena leaders are pitching for Eknath Shinde's return as chief minister, while BJP leaders are insisting that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will continue to lead the alliance.

At the annual Dussehra rally of the party on Tuesday, Sena ministers Pratap Sarnaik and Gulabrao Patil, along with former minister Ramdas Kadam, openly backed their party chief and deputy chief minister Shinde for the top post. Their remarks signalled that the leadership question remains alive within the ruling alliance, r...