Eknath Shinde on Friday forced the cancellation of a government formation meeting in Mumbai by leaving on an unscheduled visit to his native village, underlining his displeasure at BJP pressure to accept the deputy chief minister’s post in the new government, sources said.

The Shiv Sena chief and outgoing chief minister had returned to Mumbai in the morning after a meeting of Mahayuti leaders with Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi that went on till Thursday midnight.

A follow-up meeting of the state alliance leaders — BJP chief ministerial candidate Devendra Fadnavis, Shinde and the NCP’s Ajit Pawar — was scheduled in Mumbai in the afternoon to finalise the contours of the new government.

Shinde’s sudden dash to his village in western Maharashtra has left the BJP shocked, particularly as the Sena chief had, after emerging from Shah’s residence in Delhi, told reporters the meeting had been “positive and productive”.

“We will have another meeting in Mumbai on Friday where the details of government formation will be finalised,” Shinde had told reporters.

A BJP leader in Mumbai tried to play down Shinde’s sudden vanishing act, saying “discords” are normal in the course of forming a coalition government.

“We have been told that Shinde will return tomorrow and so the meeting will now take place on Saturday,” he said.

Sena insiders said that at the meeting with Shah, Shinde had been asked to accept the deputy chief minister’s post and told that his participation was important to showcase unity in the Mahayuti.

“But the deputy chief minister’s post is a demotion for an outgoing chief minister. So, Shindeji proposed that some other Sena leader be appointed to the post,” a Sena MP said.

The BJP leadership, however, is insisting that if Shinde doesn’t accept the post, it would reflect badly on alliance unity.

Another Sena politician claimed the BJP had also offered Shinde a cabinet minister’s job in the Narendra Modi government in Delhi, but the Sena boss had rejected it.

“Our leader Shindeji can accept the deputy chief minister’s post if he is given the home department,” this politician, regarded as close to Shinde, said.

Sources confirmed that the meeting with Shah in Delhi did feature talks about portfolio allocation. The BJP, given its largest tally of 132 seats among the Mahayuti partners, is unwilling to part with key departments like home and finance.

NCP chief Ajit, however, wants the finance portfolio, which he had held in the last government, apart from a cabinet minister’s berth in the central government for a party colleague.

While the BJP is backing Fadnavis for chief minister, it has so far refrained from formally electing him as the leader of its legislature party. There are fears in some quarters about the central leadership foisting a surprise candidate.

Shinde is reluctant to serve as deputy to Fadnavis, who had been his deputy in the outgoing government, his party sources said.

“Shindeji has established himself as a strong Maratha leader. It would give out a wrong message to the community if he accepts a junior role to Fadnavis, a Brahmin, not liked by the Marathas,” a Sena leader said.

After resisting pressure to part with the chief minister’s post for four days after the poll results, Shinde had caved in on Wednesday and announced “full support for a BJP chief minister”. He had said he had assured both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah that he would not be a “hurdle to government formation”.

BJP insiders said Shinde had capitulated only after receiving a phone call during which BJP president J.P. Nadda and Shah asked him to come out and clear the air while insisting there would be no compromise on the chief minister’s post.

“Shinde was able to wrest control of the Shiv Sena and its symbol only with our help. He should keep this in mind,” a BJP leader said.

He said the new government’s swearing-in, initially planned for December 2, could get delayed because of Shinde’s sudden intransigence.