Suspense ends: Fadnavis back in command as Maha CM, Shinde and Pawar join as deputies

MUMBAI: Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister, while leaders of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, took the oath as Deputy Chief Ministers at a grand ceremony in South Mumbai’s sprawling Azad Maidan on Thursday evening.

The swearing-in of Fadnavis as the new Chief Minister capped nearly two weeks of suspense over the top post and a tug-of-war with Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena, who had headed the coalition government for the past two years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union ministers, and Chief Ministers of various states, along with thousands of supporters of the Mahayuti alliance, attended the ceremony, which took place almost a fortnight after the assembly election results were declared on November 23.

No other ministers were sworn in. The ministry will be expanded next week ahead of the winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur, according to well-placed sources.

In the hours leading up to the oath-taking ceremony, it was unclear whether Shinde would attend. Ultimately, he was back on board after causing some anxious moments for the BJP, which leads the Mahayuti and emerged as the single largest party after the assembly polls, winning 132 of the 288 total seats. Observers viewed Shinde’s initial hesitation as an attempt to secure key cabinet berths in the new government.

In his first remarks after taking charge, Fadnavis outlined his vision for the state, declaring, “From here on, we will work for the development of Maharashtra, and we will not stop.”

He also appeared to reach out to Shinde, saying, “The direction and speed remain the same; only our roles have changed. We will take decisions in Maharashtra’s interest.”

Among those present at the star-studded ceremony were Union ministers Amit Shah, J.P. Nadda, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Chief Ministers of various NDA-ruled states, including Yogi Adityanath, Nitish Kumar, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Mohan Yadav, and Pramod Sawant, also attended.

Leading figures from Bollywood and India Inc, including Shah Rukh Khan and Mukesh Ambani, were also present.

Fadnavis, 54, elected from the Nagpur South West constituency, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor CP Radhakrishnan. He was followed by Shinde, 60, and Pawar, 65. The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP ‘Mahayuti’ coalition holds a commanding majority of 230 seats. On Wednesday, a delegation of the ruling Mahayuti alliance met the Governor at Raj Bhavan shortly after Fadnavis was unanimously elected as the BJP legislature party leader.

At a press conference at Raj Bhavan following the meeting, Shinde said, “I am happy that at this very place, around two and a half years ago, Fadnavis had recommended that I should become the CM. Now, we have given a letter of recommendation from Shiv Sena for Fadnavis to become CM. This government is being formed in a healthy atmosphere.” Fadnavis, who has now served as Chief Minister for the third time, led the BJP-Shiv Sena government from 2014 to 2019. After the 2019 elections, when the then Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena broke ties with the BJP over the CM post, Fadnavis was sworn in again with Ajit Pawar as his deputy. However, that government lasted only 72 hours due to Pawar’s failure to secure sufficient support from NCP MLAs. Following a split in the Shiv Sena in 2022, Fadnavis became Deputy CM in the Mahayuti government led by Shinde.

Police made special arrangements to accommodate more than 40,000 party supporters who attended the oath-taking ceremony on Thursday. An official said a separate seating arrangement was made for approximately 2,000 VVIPs.