"If he (Eknath Shinde) does not become the Deputy Chief Minister then no one will take any ministerial position in Shiv Sena", said Samant. "We are fully confident that Eknath Shinde will be the Deputy Chief Minister and without him, there will be no Deputy CM in our party," he added.
Devendra Fadnavis to be sworn in as Maharashtra CM along with 2 Deputy CMs
BJP legislature party leader Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn-in as the new chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening at a grand ceremony to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other dignitaries.
Fadnavis, who would be occupying the CM's post for the third time, along with two deputy chief ministers will take the oath of office, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar told media, adding that other members of the cabinet will take oath later.
No confirmation of deputy CM post yet from Eknath Shinde camp
While Pawar has said he would take oath on Thursday, there was no confirmation yet from the Shinde camp that he would accept the deputy CM post. Asked when other ministers would take oath of office, Mungantiwar told media, "It is most likely that the council of ministers will be sworn in before the winter session of the assembly starts, so as to avoid administrative disruption."
The swearing-in ceremony will be held at the Azad Maidan ground in south Mumbai. Governor CP Radhakrishnan will administer the oath of office to Fadnavis and his deputies. The formation of the new government comes after two weeks of intense negotiations following the November 20 state assembly polls and results on November 23.
Fadnavis, 54, who represents Nagpur South West constituency, emerged as the frontrunner for the top post as he was the face of the BJP's campaign and led the party to victory in 132 seats in the 288-member House.
Fadnavis visits temples ahead of taking oath as Maharashtra CM
Together with allies Shiv Sena and NCP, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition has a commanding majority of 230 seats. Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Fadnavis visited the famous Siddhivinayak temple here in the morning and performed a puja.
On Wednesday, Fadnavis, with Shinde and Ajit Pawar, met Governor Radhakrishnan to formally stake claim to form a government, presenting letters of support from the coalition partners. Before that, Fadnavis was elected as leader of the BJP legislature party at a meeting on Wednesday morning.
Over 40,000 people to attend swearing-in ceremony of Maharashtra CM
The swearing-in ceremony will have 42,000 attendees, BJP leader Prasad Lad had said earlier. Besides PM Modi, several Union ministers and chief ministers and deputy CMs of various states will attend the event, he said.
Special arrangements have been made to accommodate 40,000 BJP supporters and a separate seating arrangement made for 2,000 VVIPs, including leaders from various religions, he said. More than 4,000 police personnel have been deployed for security, officials said.
Fadnavis has been chief minister twice. He headed the BJP-Shiv Sena government for five years from 2014 to 2019. Amid a deadlock after the 2019 elections as the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena severed its ties with the BJP over the CM post, Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister with Ajit Pawar as his deputy.
But this government lasted only 72 hours as Pawar could not get the backing of enough NCP MLAs. When the Mahayuti government came to power under Shinde's leadership following a split in the Shiv Sena, Fadnavis became a deputy CM. Ajit Pawar too joined this government as a second deputy CM in 2023 after he split the NCP led by Sharad Pawar.
Ajit Pawar, 65 would be taking oath as deputy CM for the sixth time.
Mahayuti ministers to take oath in one week: Chhagan Bhujbal
NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Thursday said ministers from the Mahayuti allies in Maharashtra will take oath in a week's time. Talking to media, Bhujbal also said that NCP head Ajit Pawar, who will take oath as deputy chief minister for the sixth time on Thursday evening, has a good grasp over the finance department.
Notably, Pawar served as the deputy CM and also held the finance portfolio in the outgoing government. BJP legislature party leader Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn-in as the new chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening at a grand ceremony in Mumbai to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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