Maharashtra Politics: Power, Protest, and Pomp in Oath Ceremony

Maharashtra's CM Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar took oath as MLAs amid opposition boycott alleging EVM misuse. The Mahayuti alliance retained power in the assembly elections. Opposition voiced concerns over the election mandate, raising suspicions about EVMs and the Election Commission.

In Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, took oath as MLAs in a ceremony marred by controversy on Saturday. Opposition parties, including the MVA, boycotted the event, citing allegations of electronic voting machine (EVM) tampering.

The pro-tem assembly speaker, Kalidas Kolambkar, administered the oath to Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar, alongside Chainsukh Sancheti, Jaykumar Rawal, Manikrao Kokate, and Ashish Jaiswal. This marked Fadnavis' sixth time being sworn in as a member of the Lower House from Nagpur South-West.

The recent polls saw the Mahayuti alliance, composed of BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, securing a substantial majority. The BJP netted 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena and NCP. However, the opposition continues to insist that the mandate requires re-evaluation due to alleged electoral irregularities.

(With inputs from agencies.)