Devendra Fadnavis, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party, was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening during a grand ceremony at Azad Maidan, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and numerous prominent figures from Bollywood and the sports world. This marks Fadnavis’s third term as Chief Minister.
He was sworn in alongside two Deputy Chief Ministers, Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde. Pawar assumed the role of Deputy Chief Minister for the sixth time, while Shinde took on the position for the first time after previously serving as Chief Minister of the Mahayuti 1.0 government.
The tension has subsided with Shinde’s induction as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, opening the way for a unified Mahayuti 2.0. The three leaders were sworn in by Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan.
BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar told reporters that the remaining cabinet members will be sworn in at a later date.
He stated, “The council of ministers is likely to take the oath before the start of the winter session of the assembly to prevent any administrative disruption.”
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of states ruled by the NDA. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were also there.
Other attendees included cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, actors Salman Khan, Ranbir Singh and Shah Rukh Khan, as well as Union Ministers and NDA leaders.
Being the face of the BJP’s campaign and helping the party win 132 seats in the 288-member House, Fadnavis became the undisputed favourite for the top position. The 230 seats held by the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP “Mahayuti” alliance are a resounding majority.
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