Mumbai, December 5 (IANS). Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis will take oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
If sources are to be believed, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and NCP’s Ajit Pawar will take oath as Deputy Chief Ministers in the new cabinet. The swearing-in ceremony will take place at Azad Maidan in Mumbai and will be attended by several NDA chief ministers and leaders.
Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar met Governor CP Radhakrishnan on December 4 and staked claim to form the grand coalition government.
After meeting the Governor, Fadnavis said, “The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will take place tomorrow at 5:30 pm in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I met Eknath Shinde and requested him to join this government, as this Grand Alliance The workers wish…we will fulfill the promises made to the people of Maharashtra.”
Fadnavis said, ‘We three leaders are one. Deputy CM and CM are just technical posts. Who will take oath will be told by the evening.
This will be Fadnavis’ third stint at the top post after being unanimously elected as the Maharashtra BJP legislature party leader on Wednesday.
This decision has come after several days. Eknath Shinde reportedly wanted to become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. However, when the BJP refused to back down, Shinde came in front of the media and said that he would support PM Modi’s choice.
Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde on Wednesday expressed his satisfaction over the completion of two and a half years of the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, ahead of Fadnavis taking oath as the chief minister.
Shinde said, “The work that our government – the Mahayuti government, the three of us and our team has done in the last two and a half years is remarkable. It will be written in golden letters in history. We are happy that we took such big decisions.” “
Along with Shinde, Fadnavis and NCP chief Ajit Pawar were also present at the press conference. Addressing the media, Pawar stressed his commitment to effective governance.
“We will leave no stone unturned in running the government. The party’s activities will be managed by BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule and NCP’s Sunil Tatkare,” he said.
Some light moments were also seen during the press conference. When asked whether he and Ajit Pawar will take oath as Fadnavis’s deputies on December 5? Shinde said, “Wait till the evening.”
On Shinde’s reply, Pawar said, “Whether someone is taking oath or not is a different matter. The decision about these people will be taken by the evening but it is certain that I am taking oath tomorrow.”
Shinde then said, “Dada (Ajit Pawar) has the experience of taking oath both in the morning and in the evening.” Everyone present at the press conference laughed at this.
In the year 2019, Pawar had taken oath as Deputy Chief Minister along with Fadnavis as Chief Minister in an early morning ceremony held at Raj Bhavan.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance registered a landslide victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, winning 235 out of 288 seats. The result marked an important milestone for the BJP, which emerged as the largest party with 132 seats.
Whereas, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a major setback, in which Congress got only 16 seats. Its alliance partner Shiv Sena (UBT) won 20 seats, while the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) got only 10 seats.
–IANS
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