Devendra Fadnavis, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is set to take oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the third time today. The swearing-in ceremony, scheduled at 5:30 pm at Azad Maidan, Mumbai, will be graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders.
Alongside Fadnavis, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and NCP’s Ajit Pawar will take the oath as Deputy Chief Ministers, sources confirmed. This comes after the Mahayuti alliance’s landslide victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, where the coalition secured 235 out of 288 seats.
Unanimous Election and Alliance Decision
Fadnavis was unanimously elected as the Leader of the Maharashtra BJP Legislative Party on Wednesday. He, along with Shinde and Pawar, met Governor CP Radhakrishnan to formally stake their claim to form the Mahayuti government.
Addressing the media after meeting the Governor, Fadnavis stated,
“The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be held tomorrow at 5:30 pm 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 fulfil the promises made to the people of Maharashtra.”
While there had been speculation about Shinde vying for the Chief Minister’s position, he ultimately supported the BJP’s choice, aligning with Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.
Mahayuti’s Victory and MVA’s Setback
The 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Election marked a decisive triumph for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance. Key highlights include:
- BJP: Emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats.
- Shiv Sena: Secured 57 seats.
- NCP (Ajit Pawar faction): Bagged 41 seats.
In contrast, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance suffered a severe blow:
- Congress: Won 16 seats.
- Shiv Sena (UBT): Secured 20 seats.
- NCP (Sharad Pawar faction): Managed just 10 seats.
Shinde and Pawar on Governance
Speaking ahead of the oath-taking, Shinde expressed satisfaction with the Mahayuti government’s work over the past 2.5 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,” he remarked.
At a joint press conference, Ajit Pawar reiterated their commitment to effective governance, stating,
“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.”
The conference also included lighthearted banter, with Shinde quipping,
“Dada (Ajit Pawar) has experience of taking (oath) both in the morning and evening,” referring to the 2019 early morning swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan.