Devendra Fadnavis Takes Oath as Maharashtra CM Amid Big Celebrations

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn in today as the 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, finally ending an impasse on who would helm the top post that lasted for more than two weeks after the Mahayuti alliance secured a stunning victory in the November 20 Assembly elections in the state.

The oath taking ceremony, set to take place in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan at 5 pm, will be attended by top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, among others.This will be the 54-year-old’s third stint as Chief Minister. He first served in the top post from October 2014 to November 2019, becoming the youngest Chief Minister of the state at the age of 44.

His second stint, however, lasted only five days, from November 23 to 28, 2019, as the undivided Shiv Sena walked out of an alliance with the BJP.

Besides Fadnavis, two Deputy Chief Ministers, including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, will also be sworn in today.

As per sources, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, whose initial reluctance to give up the Chief Minister’s post dragged on the deadlock, has agreed to take up the role of Deputy Chief Minister and is also expected to take oath today.

Fadnavis emerged as the frontrunner for the coveted post after the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the state polls, winning 132 seats, its highest-ever tally, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP got 57 and 41, respectively.