Fadnavis to Take Oath as Maha CM Today; Shinde & Pawar Join as Deputy CMs

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis will take oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde along with NCP's Ajit Pawar will take the oath as Deputy Chief Ministers in the new cabinet, sources said. The oath-taking ceremony will take place at Mumbai's Azad Maidan and will see the participation of several NDA Chief Ministers and leaders.

Ending the long-drawn suspense over who would get the top job, Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar met Governor CP Radhakrishnan to stake their claim to form the MahaYuti government. After meeting the Governor, Fadnavis said, "The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be held tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I met Eknath Shinde and requested him to join us in this government, as it is the wish of MahaYuti workers...We will fulfill the promises made to the people of Maharashtra." It will be Fadnavis' third term in the top post after being unanimously elected as the Leader of the Maharashtra BJP Legislative Party on Wednesday.

The decision came after days of speculation and political manoeuvring as Eknath Shinde wanted to become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. However, the BJP, refused to budge and later, Shinde said he would back PM Modi's pick.Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde on Wednesday expressed his satisfaction with the two-and a-half years of the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, ahead of the swearing-in of Fadnavis 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 in the last 2.5 years is remarkable. It will be written in golden letters in history. We are proud to have taken such significant decisions," said Shinde.

Shinde was accompanied by Fadnavis and NCP chief Ajit Pawar at a press conference. Addressing the media, Pawar emphasised 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-hearted banter during the press conference. Asked whether he and Ajit Pawar would take oath on December 5 as Fadnavis' deputies, Shinde said, "Wait till evening..."

Pawar, in response to Shinde's reply, said, "Sham tak unka samaj aayega (We will know about Shinde by evening), I will take it (oath), I will not wait." Shinde then said, "Dada (Ajit Pawar) has experience of taking (oath) both in the morning and evening." This elicted laughter from all those present at the press conference. In the year 2019, Pawar had taken oath as the Deputy Chief Minister with Fadnavis as the Chief Minister in an early morning ceremony at Raj Bhavan. The 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Election witnessed a resounding victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance, which secured a landslide win with 235 seats out of 288. The results marked a significant milestone for the BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats.

The Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party also recorded notable gains, securing 57 and 41 seats, respectively. While, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a major setback with Congress winning just 16 seats. Its alliance partner, Shiv Sena (UBT), won 20 seats, while the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) secured only 10 seats.