Hundreds of farmers, who gathered for Delhi Chalo march over several demands agreed to vacate the protest site on Monday evening, allowing traffic movements along the Noida-Greater Noida expressway.

Reportedly, after a meeting with the Noida authorities, Bhartiya Kisan Parishad leader Sukhbir Khalifa, who is spearheading the protests, decided to give the Centre a week’s time to fulfill the farmers’ various demands, including a legislation on Minimum Support Prices (MSPs). The protestors temporarily shifted their protest to Ambedkar Park but threatened to resume their march towards the national capital, if their demands were not met on time.

Earlier on Monday, massive traffic snarls caused inconvenience to commuters crossing the Delhi-Noida border, as police set up multiple barricades to avert the farmers from Uttar Pradesh from marching towards the Parliament complex. 

After the farmers’ gathered near the Mahamaya flyover in Noida on Monday afternoon, some of them broke a few barricades and attempted to continue with their march. The protest is being supported by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and other farmer organisations.

Shivhari Meena, Joint CP Law and Order Noida, Shivhari Meena, told a news agency that the farmers had announced the Delhi Challo march today and they were continuously holding talks with them. She added that the farmers have told their demands to the officials and officials have given them an assurance. 

Additional Commissioner of Police, Eastern Range of Delhi Police,Sagar Singh Kalsi, had told a news agency that owing to farmers’ protest, they have made strong and robust arrangements at all major, minor borders in East Delhi.

Beside a legal guarantee on the MSP, the protesters are demanding farm loan waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.

The BJP on Monday appointed Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani as central observers for its legislature meeting in Maharashtra to select its leader. This comes amid ongoing suspense over Maharashtra’s next Chief Minister.

More than a week after the BJP-led NDA, also called Mahayuti, secured a landslide win in the Maharashtra assembly elections, the new government is yet to be sworn in. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is expected to be elected as the legislature party leader in a meeting scheduled for December 3. Reportedly, all BJP MLAs have been directed to be present in Mumbai for the event.

In the Assembly Elections, the Mahayuti alliance secured 230 out of 288 assembly seats, with the BJP winning 132 seats, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena claiming 57, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP taking 41 seats. The oath-taking ceremony for the new government is set for the evening of December 5 at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, with Prime Minister Modi in attendance.

Notably, the BJP is proceeding cautiously as the aspirations of its allies, especially the Shiv Sena, have risen following the massive election victory. Despite Eknath Shinde’s push for unity within the Mahayuti, some allied leaders have expressed differing views.

Former Union minister and BJP leader Raosaheb Danve said that if the undivided Shiv Sena and BJP had contested the elections together, they would have secured more seats. Shiv Sena MLA Gulabrao Patil also claimed that the Eknath Shinde-led party would have won 90-100 seats had Ajit Pawar’s NCP not been part of the alliance, provoking a strong response from the Ajit Pawar-led party.

The BJP legislature party meeting to elect the leader, who will be the party’s chief ministerial pick, is yet to be held even though Shiv Sena and NCP have elected Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as their legislature party leaders, respectively. Meanwhile, a senior Mahayuti leader said the allies will jointly decide whether only the Chief Minister and deputy CMs will take oath on December 5 or ministers will also be sworn in.

The conundrum over finalising the next Maharashtra Chief Minister continues after 10 days as caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde cancelled his meetings today as he was unwell. Earlier on November 29, the Shiv Sena leader cancelled a crucial meeting of Mahayuti, and unexpectedly left for his village in Satara district. Meanwhile, NCP leader Ajit Pawar headed to Delhi to meet with top BJP leadership over government formation.

Reportedly, Eknath Shinde, who was supposed to attend a meeting of Mahayuti leaders to finalise the portfolio allocations, is down with a throat infection and fever. The Shiv Sena leader did not return to his official residence, Varsha, and had been staying in his native village in Satara over the weekend. The meeting is scheduled to be held on Tuesday.

The Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, swept the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly election, winning 230 of 288 seats, the results of which were declared on November 23. The BJP secured a massive 132 seats, while Shinde Sena and NCP’s Ajit Pawar faction got 57 and 41 seats, respectively. Reportedly, Ajit Pawar may discuss the Maharashtra government formation and portfolio allocations with the top BJP leadership in Delhi today.

In another major development, Eknath Shinde’s son and Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde rejected reports of a demand for the Deputy Chief Minister post for him. Shrikant Shinde called the reports baseless rumours and said he was not in any race for any ministerial post in Maharashtra.

His clarification came after speculation arose that he would be considered for the Deputy Chief Minister’s post. Taking to X, Shrikant Shinde wrote that the swearing-in ceremony of the coalition government has been a bit delayed and currently there is a lot of discussion and rumours. He added that caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde went to the village for two days and rested due to ill health, and so the rumours flourished. 

He continued that the news that he will be the Deputy Chief Minister has no truth in it and is baseless. The Shiv Sena MP mentioned that he got the chance to become a Cabinet minister after the NDA’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections and asserted he had no desire for a position in power.

He stated that after the Lok Sabha elections, he had a chance to become a minister in the central government. However, he thought about working for the party and refused the ministerial post even then. He added that he is not in the race for any ministerial position in the state.