Shiv Sena Chief Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra on Thursday.
The oath was administered by Governor CP Radhakrishnan during a ceremony held at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan.
Fadnavis Returns as Chief Minister
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the new Mahayuti government. Fadnavis, who served as Maharashtra’s CM from 2014 to 2019, also held the post of Deputy CM in the recent Mahayuti government.
High-Profile Attendance
The ceremony was attended by prominent leaders, including:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
Chief Ministers from across India, such as Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh), Pramod Sawant (Goa), Bhupendra Patel (Gujarat), and Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand), also graced the event.
Prominent personalities, including cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, and Madhuri Dixit, were present as well.
Political Developments Leading to the Oath
Ending speculation over leadership, Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar staked their claim to form the government on Wednesday after meeting Governor CP Radhakrishnan. At a legislature party meeting in Vidhan Bhawan, Vijay Rupani, BJP’s central observer and former Gujarat CM, announced Fadnavis as the unanimous choice for BJP legislature party leader.
While Eknath Shinde initially sought the Chief Minister’s position, he later agreed to back PM Modi’s pick, solidifying the alliance’s leadership strategy.
Election Results 2024
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance emerged victorious in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, securing a landslide victory with 235 seats. The BJP became the single-largest party with 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (57 seats) and NCP (41 seats).
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), on the other hand, faced a major defeat. Congress won just 16 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) 20 seats, and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) 10 seats.