BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on Thursday in the presence of PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other NDA leaders. 

Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and NCP’s Ajit Pawar were sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers.

This oath-taking ceremony marked Fadnavis’s third stint as Maharashtra Chief Minister. The 54-year-old leader first served in the top post from October 2014 to November 19, becoming the youngest CM of the state. Fadnavis’s second stint, though, lasted only five days, from November 23 to 28, 2019 after the undivided Shiv Sena walked out of an alliance with the BJP. 

Shinde, who was the Chief Minister in the previous Mahayuti coalition government, was reportedly not happy as he had to cede the top post to the ally BJP, and was reluctant to take the deputy CM post.  However, after Shinde was requested by his MLAs to accept the post of DyCM, he confirmed his decision and took oath along with ally and NCP chief Pawar. 

The formation of the new government comes after two weeks of intense negotiations following the November 20 state assembly polls and results on November 23.

Grand ceremony

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, and other National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders were present at Azad Maidan to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami were also present at the event.
Union Ministers including Nitin Gadkari, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Chirag Paswan, along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, also graced the occasion.

Prominent celebrities such as cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, and Madhuri Dixit were among those in attendance.

On Wednesday, Fadnavis, with Shinde and Ajit Pawar, met Governor Radhakrishnan to formally stake claim to form a government, presenting letters of support from the coalition partners. 

Before that, Fadnavis was elected as leader of the BJP legislature party at a meeting on Wednesday morning.

Special arrangements were made to accommodate 40,000 BJP supporters and a separate seating arrangement was made for 2,000 VVIPs, including leaders from various religions for the grand ceremony.

More than 4,000 police personnel were deployed for security in and around the swearing-in venue. 

The Mahayuti alliance won a whopping 230 seats out of 288 Assembly seats in the November 20 elections. The BJP emerged as the single largest party winning 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena and NCP got 57 and 41 seats respectively. 

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant on Thursday said no MLA from the party will accept any responsibility in the new Maharashtra government if Eknath Shinde does not take oath as deputy chief minister.

Talking to reporters hours ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Samant also said no MLA from the Shiv Sena has the intention to become deputy CM and the post should be occupied only by Shinde.

Shiv Sena head Eknath Shinde, who served as chief minister in the outgoing government, has indicated that he is reluctant to join the new government as deputy CM.

BJP Legislature Party Leader Devendra Fadnavis To Be Sworn-In As The New Chief Minister Of Maharashtra

BJP legislature party leader Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn-in as the new chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening at a grand ceremony here to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Fadnavis would be taking oath along with two deputy chief ministers, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar told reporters earlier in the day.

“If Eknath Shinde does not accept the deputy CM’s post, no MLA from Shiv Sena will accept any responsibility in the government,” Samant said.

New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday took a jibe at outgoing Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde after the Mahayuti alliance picked Devendra Fadnavis to be the next CM, saying that “Shinde era is over” and he will never be CM again.

Sanjay Raut’s remark came after the incumbent Mahayuti alliance picked Devendra Fadnavis to be the next CM and offered the outgoing CM Eknath Shinde the post of deputy CM, following their historic win in Maharashtra.

Raut claimed that Shinde was ‘used’ by the Bharatiya Janata Party and now “has been tossed aside.”

Statement Of Shiv Sena-UBT Leader Sanjay Raut

“Shinde era is over, it was just for two years. His usage is now over and he has been tossed aside. Shinde will never be the CM of this state again. They (BJP) can even break Shinde’s party, this has always been BJP’s line in politics. They break and finish the party of those who work with them,” Raut said.

Raut further questioned the delay in revealing the CM of Maharashtra despite having a clear majority. He suggested something was wrong within the Mahayuti alliance.

“Devendra Fadnavis will be the CM of the state from today. He has the majority but despite that, they were unable to form the Government for 15 days – it means that there is something wrong within their party or Mahayuti. This issue will start showing from tomorrow,” Raut said.

About The Swearing-In Ceremony

Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai today. Two deputy chief ministers, NCP leader Ajit Pawar and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, will also be sworn in at the ceremony in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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.

Maharashtra Assembly Election Result

The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 witnessed a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance, securing a landslide win with 235 seats. 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 made notable gains, with 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.