BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Maharashtra chief minister on Thursday along with two deputy chief ministers, Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), days after the Grand Alliance won the assembly elections in the state. A grand program was held at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several chief ministers, deputy chief ministers and Union ministers representing the BJP and its alliance partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Even though Mahayuti got an absolute majority in 230 seats out of 288 seats, only the Chief Minister and two Deputy Chief Ministers were sworn in. In a sign that portfolio discussions are continuing, none of the candidates from the three parties that will form the coalition government – BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP – took oath on Thursday.
As per the rules, the Maharashtra Cabinet can have a maximum of 43 ministers including the Chief Minister.
Fadnavis, who was elected as the leader of the state BJP legislative party in Wednesday’s meeting, took charge as the chief minister for the third time. In 2014, Fadnavis led the party to its highest ever victory of 122 seats and was selected for the post by Prime Minister Modi after completing five years at the helm. Five years later, in 2019, Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister with Ajit Pawar as Deputy Chief Minister. But the government could not last only 72 hours.
The decision to have Shinde take charge as deputy chief minister came at the eleventh hour, minutes before Shah landed in Mumbai. Shinde, who served as chief minister from 2022 to 2024, expressed his displeasure last week after being denied the post.