Devendra Fadnavis Sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister for the Third Time
On Thursday, Devendra Fadnavis took the oath of office as Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the third time. He was joined by Ajit Pawar from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Eknath Shinde from the Shiv Sena as Deputy Chief Ministers.
The recent state elections held in November saw the Mahayuti alliance, consisting of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, win a huge victory, securing 230 out of 288 seats. Although the BJP won the most seats (132), it fell short of the 145 needed to have a majority. Eknath Shinde’s faction won 57 seats, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP won 41 seats.
The swearing-in ceremony, attended by over 40,000 people, including Prime Minister Modi and many state leaders, was a grand event. Prominent business figures and celebrities were also present. Fadnavis had previously served as Chief Minister from 2014 to 2019 and had a brief term in November 2019.
The BJP wanted Fadnavis back in the Chief Minister role, causing some tension with Shinde’s faction, which wanted to keep their leader in charge. While discussions were happening between the parties, the BJP did offer deputy positions to Shinde and Pawar. They are still figuring out ministers and resources.
Fadnavis mentioned that he asked Eknath Shinde to join the new government. Fadnavis is hopeful about Shinde’s positive response after their recent conversation. Shinde congratulated Fadnavis but said he would update reporters later about his involvement in the swearing-in.
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