Devendra Fadnavis to Be Sworn In as Maharashtra CM for Third Term

Devendra Fadnavis, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, will assume office as Maharashtra Chief Minister at a ceremony in Mumbai. Alongside, Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde will take oath as deputy chief ministers. The event marks Fadnavis's third term, following a decisive BJP electoral victory.

Devendra Fadnavis, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader, is set to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Thursday. Joining him at the ceremony will be NCP's Ajit Pawar and Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde, who will both assume the roles of deputy chief ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be in attendance.

In anticipation of the event, the surroundings of Azad Maidan are adorned with posters featuring CM-designate Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar. The oath-taking witness the participation of a host of NDA chief ministers and leaders, highlighting the political significance of the occasion.

The appointment of Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar follows their meeting with Governor CP Radhakrishnan to stake their claim to form the Mahayuti government. This marks Fadnavis's third inning as Chief Minister, after his unanimous election as leader of the Maharashtra BJP Legislative Party this Wednesday.

At a crucial legislature party meeting held in Vidhan Bhawan, the former Gujarat CM and BJP central observer, Vijay Rupani, confirmed Fadnavis's unanimous election. This decision concluded days of intense speculation and strategic maneuvers as Shinde was initially eyeing the top role. Ultimately, Shinde conceded to support Prime Minister Modi's preference.

Notably, in 2019, Ajit Pawar took oath as the deputy chief minister alongside Fadnavis as the chief minister in a controversial early morning ceremony at Raj Bhavan. In the recent Maharashtra Assembly polls, Fadnavis successfully contested the Nagpur South West constituency, a BJP bastion since 1999.

The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 results were a landslide win for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, securing 235 seats. The BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats, while Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party made significant gains, winning 57 and 41 seats, respectively.

However, the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance faced a severe blow, as Congress only secured 16 seats, with their partners Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Sharad Pawar faction of NCP managing to win 20 and 10 seats, respectively.

(With inputs from agencies.)