MUMBAI, Dec 5: The leader of the BJP legislature party, Devendra Fadnavis, is set to take the oath as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening in a grand ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other notable dignitaries.
This will mark Fadnavis’s third term in the CM position. Alongside him, two deputy chief ministers will also be sworn in, as stated by BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar to the press. Other cabinet ministers will take their oaths at a later date.
Sources suggest that Ajit Pawar, head of the Nationalist Congress Party, and Eknath Shinde, leader of the Shiv Sena, are anticipated to serve as deputy chief ministers. While Pawar has confirmed his participation in the swearing-in ceremony, the Shinde camp has yet to confirm Shinde’s acceptance of the deputy CM role.
When asked about the schedule for other ministers’ oaths, Mungantiwar indicated, “It’s likely we will swear in the council of ministers before the winter assembly session begins to prevent administrative delays.”
The swearing-in ceremony will take place at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, with Governor C P Radhakrishnan administering the oaths.
This new government formation follows two weeks of intense negotiations after the state assembly elections on November 20, with results announced on November 23.
Fadnavis, who represents the Nagpur South West constituency, emerged as the lead candidate for CM, having spearheaded the BJP’s campaign which secured 132 seats in the 288-member assembly. The BJP-led Mahayuti coalition, comprising allies Shiv Sena and NCP, holds a substantial majority with a total of 230 seats.
Prior to the swearing-in ceremony, Fadnavis visited the renowned Siddhivinayak temple in the morning to perform a puja.
On Wednesday, he met with Shinde and Ajit Pawar to formally present their claim to form a government to Governor Radhakrishnan, accompanied by letters of support from coalition partners. Earlier that morning, Fadnavis was also elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party.
The ceremony is expected to welcome around 42,000 guests, according to BJP leader Prasad Lad. Attendees will include Prime Minister Modi, various Union ministers, and chief ministers and deputy CM from different states. Special arrangements are being made to accommodate 40,000 BJP supporters and an additional seating area for 2,000 VVIPs, including leaders from various faiths. More than 4,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure security, officials report.
This will be Fadnavis’s third term as Chief Minister. He previously headed the BJP-Shiv Sena government from 2014 to 2019. The fallout following the 2019 elections—due to a deadlock between the BJP and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena regarding the CM post—led to his brief swearing-in with Ajit Pawar as deputy, which lasted only 72 hours due to a lack of sufficient NCP MLA support.
Following a split in the Shiv Sena, Fadnavis became deputy CM under the Mahayuti government led by Shinde. This year, Ajit Pawar also joined as a second deputy CM after he split from Sharad Pawar’s NCP.
Ajit Pawar, age 65, will be taking the oath of deputy CM for the sixth time. (PTI)
