Devendra Fadnavis set to take oath as Maha CM today; Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar deputy CMs

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis will take oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and NCP’s Ajit Pawar will take oath as deputy chief ministers in the new cabinet, sources said.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan and will be attended by several ministers and chief leaders of the NDA.

Ending the long suspense over who would get the top post, Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar met Governor CP Radhakrishnan to demand the formation of the MahaYuti government.

After meeting the governor, Fadnavis said, “The inauguration ceremony of the new government will take place tomorrow at 5:30 pm in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I met Eknath Shinde and asked him to join us in this government. as is the wish of MahaYuti workers… We will fulfill the promises made to the people of Maharashtra.

This will be Fadnavis’ third term at the top post after he was unanimously elected as the leader of the Maharashtra BJP legislature on Wednesday.

The decision came after days of speculation and political maneuvering as Eknath Shinde sought to become the chief minister of Maharashtra. However, the BJP refused to budge and later Shinde said he would support PM Modi’s choice.

Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde on Wednesday expressed satisfaction over the two-and-a-half years of Mahayuti rule in Maharashtra, ahead of Fadnavis’ swearing-in as chief minister.

“I am very happy with the completion of two and a half years. The work done by our government – the MahaYuti government – by the three of us and our team over the last two and a half years is remarkable. This will be written in letters of gold in history, we are proud to have taken such important decisions,” Shinde said.

Shinde was accompanied by Fadnavis and NCP chief Ajit Pawar at a press conference.

Speaking to the media, Pawar highlighted their commitment to effective governance.

“We will leave no stone unturned in running the government. Party activities will be managed by BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule and NCP’s Sunil Tatkare,” he said.

There was also some light banter during the press conference.

Asked if he and Ajit Pawar would take oath on December 5 as Fadnavis’ deputies, Shinde said, “Wait until evening…”

Pawar, in response to Shinde’s reply, said: “Sham tak unka samaj aayega (We will know Shinde by evening), I will take it (oath), I will not wait.”

Shinde then said, “Dada (Ajit Pawar) has the experience of taking (oath) in the morning and evening.” This sparked laughter from everyone present at the press conference.

In 2019, Pawar had taken oath as deputy chief minister along with Fadnavis as chief minister in an early morning ceremony at Raj Bhavan.

The 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections saw a resounding victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance, which won a landslide with 235 seats out of 288. The results marked a milestone important for the BJP, which became the only party. largest party with 132 seats.

The Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party also made notable gains, securing 57 and 41 seats, respectively.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) meanwhile suffered a major setback, with the Congress securing only 16 seats. Its alliance partner Shiv Sena (UBT) won 20 seats, while the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) got only 10 seats.

(With inputs from IANS)