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Fadnavis was appointed BJP’s Legislative Party leader, effectively paving the way for him to become Maharashtra CM for the third time.
PM Modi is reportedly fond of Fadnavis, who will become the CM of Maharashtra for the third time. (PTI photo)
Maharashtra Govt Formation:Â Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis is set to take oath at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Thursday (December 5) after he was unanimously chosen as the legislative party leader in a crucial BJP meeting today, putting a rest to the last few days of suspense and tense negotiations between the Mahayuti allies over government formation.
The oath-taking ceremony will take place at 5 pm tomorrow and will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as nearly 2,000 VVIPs and 40,000 supporters. Invitations have been extended to the chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states.
Quoting BJP sources, news agency PTI said central ministers, governors and key central office-bearers are also expected to attend. The BJP has also invited religious leaders, artists and writers from across the state. “The swearing-in ceremony will showcase the spirit of the Mahayuti alliance while honouring Maharashtra’s cultural diversity,” a senior leader said.
Fadnavis Elected As BJP Legislative Leader
Fadnavis, a two-time former chief minister, was announced as the BJP’s legislative party leader in a crucial party meeting on Wednesday that featured Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and ex-Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani as central observers, effectively clearing the party for him to take the top post for the third time.
The BJP, which alone won 132 of the state’s 288 seats, wanted Fadnavis as the chief minister, a claim supported by the NCP, which won 41 seats. The Shiv Sena, with 57 seats, however, maintained that it was Eknath Shinde who led the Mahayuti to the polls, as an impasse over power-sharing led to a delay in the naming of the CM pick. Sources told News18 that Shinde had relented and accepted the role of deputy CM.
“I thank all the MLAs and alliance partners. I am thankful to all of you for electing me. We all know this was a historic election,” Fadnavis said at the alliance meeting, thanking Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar and Ramdas Athawale. This is a remarkable comeback to power for Fadnavis, who was supported by both the BJP and RSS.
After rising to power in 2014 with Fadnavis at the helm, the BJP and Shiv Sena fell apart over CM negotiations in 2019. In a sudden, late-night move, Fadnavis took oath for the second time and appointed Ajit Pawar as his deputy. However, his chief ministership barely lasted a few days as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) formed the government.
After Eknath Shinde’s defection engineered the downfall of the MVA government, Fadnavis contended with a “demotion” as he was named a deputy CM, which got him constant taunts from Uddhav Thackeray and his party. He was also blamed for the Lok Sabha debacle the BJP faced in Maharashtra. Now, he will take the reins of the next Mahayuti government for the third time.
The stage is set for the oath-taking ceremony at Azad Maidan tomorrow, where Mumbai Police have deployed more than 2,500 cops at the site as a large crowd is expected to gather. Armed forces, a task force, and other agencies would be present to manage the crowd.
