It's official: Fadnavis to be sworn-in as Maharashtra CM today; PM Modi to attend ceremony

Devendra Fadnavis is set to take oath as the next chief minister of Maharashtra on Dec 5 alongside two deputies after he was elected leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) legislative party unit and staked claim to power, ending nearly two weeks of suspense over government formation, a senior BJP leader said.

Fadnavis who led the BJP to its best-ever performance in recently concluded assembly elections will take the oath at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan this evening in a grand ceremony to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The ceremony will also be attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, chief ministers of various NDA-led state governments, former Maharashtra chief ministers, foreign diplomats, actors from the Hindi and Marathi film industries, religious leaders of various sects, farmers, and beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin welfare scheme that was seen as a major contributor to the BJP’s landslide victory, sources were quoted as saying.

BJP leader Prasad Lad was quoted as saying the swearing-in ceremony will be attended by nearly 42,000 people.

“PM Modi, 9 to 10 Union ministers, and 19 chief ministers and deputy chief ministers will attend the ceremony,” he said.

A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) loyalist, Fadnavis (54) first served as chief minister for five years in 2014 and became the CM for five days again in 2019 before the government collapsed.

Outgoing chief minister Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) head Ajit Pawar are both expected to take oath alongside Fadnavis at the ceremony.

“I have personally requested Shinde Saheb to be part of the new government. The post of chief minister or deputy chief minister is just a technical thing. All three of us will work together for the state,” Fadnavis was quoted as saying.

Pawar was quoted as saying, “We will know about Shinde by evening, but I will take it (oath), I will not wait.”

Shinde responded by saying. “Dada (Ajit Pawar) has experience of taking oath both in the morning and evening,” eliciting laughter.

Fadnavis along with Shinde and Ajit Pawar called on governor CP Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan, where the Mahayuti staked claim to form the government with the support of 236 legislators.

The developments have put an end to the stalemate that had stalled government formation after the Mahayuti trounced the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which won only 50 seats, in the Nov 20 assembly elections.

In recent days, the Shiv Sena said Shinde’s health concerns prevented him from attending meetings even as speculation mounted that he was sulking over not getting the top post.

On Dec 4, Shinde and Fadnavis held a meeting at the chief minister’s residence Varsha for over 30 minutes but no breakthrough was announced.

People aware of the discussions were quoted as saying although Shinde was expected to take the oath, the stalemate deepened over sticking points such as the Sena’s demand for the home department and the assembly Speaker’s position.

Nonetheless, Shinde publicly backed Fadnavis. “I am glad that two-and-a-half years ago, Fadnavis ji extended his support for me becoming chief minister at the same place we are sitting now. And now, I am supporting him for the top post,” he was quoted as saying recently.

On Dec 5 morning, the BJP held a meeting with its newly elected 132 lawmakers and senior party leaders, where former state BJP presidents Chandrakhant Patil and Sudhir Mungantiwar proposed Fadnavis’s name as the party leader. Many other leaders, including Pankaja Munde, Sanjay Kute, Sanjay Savkare, and Meghana Bordikar seconded the proposal.

The meeting held at the central hall of the state legislature was conducted under the supervision of BJP’s two central observers —Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

Rupani enquired whether there were any more proposals for the chief minister’s post. In the absence of any other proposal, he unanimously announced Fadnavis’ name, sources were quoted as saying.

After the announcement of Fadnavis’ name Sitharaman was quoted as saying that the “unexpected and unprecedented” mandates in the Maharashtra and Haryana assembly polls were a message to the nation as they came in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha election results, where the BJP did not perform well.

“It is a mandate for Viksit Bharat (Developed India) and for Ek Hain Toh Safe Hain,” she said, referring to the phrase coined by Modi while campaigning for the Maharashtra elections calling for Hindus to be united.

Sitharaman added that a “double-engine government” in Maharashtra under Modi and Fadnavis will fulfil all the promises listed in the Mahayuti’s manifesto.

Fadnavis said that the thumping mandate delivered by the people of Maharashtra in favor of the Mahayuti was a mandate for “Ek Hain Toh Safe Hain” — if we stay united, we are safe — and “Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai” — Modi makes it possible.

“The mandate has also posed a challenge of the huge responsibilities and expectations of the people of Maharashtra. Our priority would be to complete assurances given by us to various sections of the society, including farmers and women, and keep the state in the top position,” he said.

Apart from the Sena and NCP, the Vinay Kore-led Jan Surajya Shakti, the Ravi Rana-led Yuva Janashakti, the Mahadev Jankar-led Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, and two independents extended their support to the government.

Special arrangements have been made to accommodate over 40,000 BJP supporters and a separate seating arrangement put in place for 2,000 VVIPs, including leaders from various religions, according to Lad. Over 4,000 police personnel have been deployed for security during the swearing-in ceremony, an official was quoted as saying.