After more than 10 days of suspense following Mahayuti alliance’s landslide victory in Maharashtra, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis is set to take oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra today in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Besides Fadnavis, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde along with NCP’s Ajit Pawar will also take the oath as Deputy Chief Ministers in the new cabinet, news agency ANI reported, citing sources. The oath-taking ceremony will take place at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan and will see the participation of several NDA chief ministers and leaders.
It is pertinent to mention that this will be Fadnavis’ third term in the top post after being unanimously elected as the Leader of the Maharashtra BJP Legislative Party on Wednesday. Drawing curtains on the 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.
“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,” Fadnavis said after meeting the Governor.
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,” Shinde said.
He 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.
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.
