Devendra Fadnavis Set to Return as Maharashtra CM; Takes Oath Tomorrow with Shinde and Pawar as Deputies.

Maharashtra:

Maharashtra’s political landscape is set for a significant shift as Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister-designate, has met with Governor CP Radhakrishnan to formally stake claim to form the government. Following the meeting, the Governor has invited Fadnavis and his alliance to take the oath of office at 5:30 pm on Thursday.

Fadnavis, accompanied by Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar of NCP, presented letters of support from NDA parties and MLAs to the Governor, securing the green light for the formation of the new government.

“We have handed over the letter of support to stake claim to form the government in the state. The Governor has invited us for the oath ceremony tomorrow,” Fadnavis announced, standing alongside Shinde and Pawar.

Earlier on Wednesday, Fadnavis was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP’s legislature party, cementing his position as the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The election was conducted in the presence of central observers Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, with all 132 BJP MLAs backing his leadership.

This marks a return to power for Fadnavis, who previously served as the CM from 2014 to 2019. The 2019 elections saw an alliance between the BJP and Shiv Sena, but the alliance broke down, leading to Uddhav Thackeray forming a government with NCP and Congress. In a dramatic political realignment, Eknath Shinde split from Shiv Sena in 2022 and, with BJP support, became CM, with Fadnavis serving as his deputy.

Now, with a clear mandate and full backing from the RSS, the BJP has secured the CM’s position with Fadnavis at the helm. Shinde and Pawar are set to serve as Deputy CMs in the new administration, which will be sworn in tomorrow at Azad Maidan in Mumbai in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.