Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the 21st Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday in a grand ceremony at Azad Maidan, Mumbai.
The event officiated by Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan, was attended by thousands. Fadnavis, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party, led the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition to victory in the recent State Assembly elections.
The ceremony was graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union Ministers, and Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers from NDA-ruled states. Fadnavis’s family, including his wife Amruta and daughter Divija, were present, along with the families of Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. However, the Opposition skipped the event.
This marks Fadnavis’s third term as Chief Minister. He previously held office from 2014 to 2019 and briefly in November 2019 before his government collapsed due to a lack of majority support. The new government comes after two weeks of negotiations following the State Assembly elections, which saw the BJP securing 132 seats in the 288-member Assembly. With the support of Shiv Sena and NCP, the coalition holds a strong majority of 230 seats.
Former CM of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde took the oath as Deputy Chief Minister, alongside NCP president Ajit Pawar. No other ministers were sworn in, with a full Cabinet expected to be formed soon.
Fadnavis, a veteran RSS leader, downplayed the significance of titles, saying that he, Shinde, and Pawar would work together and make joint decisions. This remark comes amid reports of discontent within the Shiv Sena over Shinde not being reappointed as Chief Minister.
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