From the business world, the Ambani family and Gautam Adani marked their presence, while the celebrities in attendance included Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, and Salman Khan. The 54-year-old was last a full-term chief minister between 2014 and 2019, but sat in the top chair for a mere four days in 2019.
In the morning, Union minister Piyush Goyal had said he was excited that his “younger brother” Fadnavis was “very rightly” becoming the chief minister of Maharashtra again. “The Mahayuti will continue to provide good governance, progress, speed of development, and will meet the aspirations of Maharashtra’s people who gave us such a big victory,” he said.
The Mahayuti alliance—which comprises the BJP, the Shinde-led Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP—bagged 237 of the state’s 288 seats in the November state elections. The BJP emerged the single-largest party, clinching 132 seats, while the Shinde Sena got 57 and the NCP 41.
Meanwhile, the Congress-led opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi—made up of the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP—got a mere 46 seats despite their stellar performance in the June Lok Sabha elections where they had snatched 30 of the 48 parliamentary constituencies. In the Assembly polls, Congress got 16, Uddhav Sena 20 and former state chief minister Sharad Pawar’s NCP only 10.
Mahayuti’s formation
The Mahayuti was formed after the elections in 2019, when Uddhav Thackeray abandoned his 25-year partnership with the BJP over who would be the chief minister.
While the BJP had anointed Fadnavis to the post again for a full 5-year term, Thackeray wanted to be in the chair for half that duration.
The four-day old BJP government in 2019 collapsed as Thackeray walked out and formed the government with the Congress and then undivided NCP. He became the chief minister.
Unfortunately for Thackeray, another set of political alignments in June 2022 saw the BJP back in the saddle with the help of one-time Thackeray loyalist Eknath Shinde, who split the party. Shinde was chosen chief minister for the remaining 2 years of the government’s term and Fadnavis his deputy.
Ajit Pawar left his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar last year to join the Mahayuti.
Fadnavis’s bumpy ride, Shinde bargained hard
The 11-day delay in taking oath was largely because Shinde wanted to continue as chief minister, arguing that the election was fought under his watch, according to a BJP source.
Leader from his party built pressure by unleashing Shinde’s loyalists to arrange maha aartis across the state, and, along with MP Naresh Mhaske, asked the BJP for a “Bihar” in Maharashtra. In 2020, the BJP had conceded the chief minister’s post to Nitish Kumar in the eastern state despite winning more seats than Kumar’s Janata Dal (United).
However, Fadnavis remained the frontrunner.
Shinde broke his silence last Wednesday and said he was willing to follow whatever Modi and Amit Shah had decided for him. He told this directly to the media via a press conference.
After that, there were hectic and multiple discussions with Shah as Shinde, Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar held meetings with him. According to the BJP source, the Sena demanded 14 portfolios.
But more suspense followed two days later when Shinde cancelled a Mahayuti meeting and headed for his village in Satara district to “recuperate from illness”. He returned to Mumbai on 1 December.
On Tuesday, he was rushed to a hospital in Thane after his health apparently showed no signs of improvement. Doctors advised a full check-up.
The BJP was coaxing Shinde to join the government as deputy CM, but he didn’t give his consent till the eleventh hour Thursday. Sena sources say Shinde had put the condition of getting the home portfolio.
Speaking to the media, many Shiv Sena leaders expressed their wish for Shinde to get the home ministry—a post that Devendra Fadnavis had held close to his chest, even in his first term as chief minister.
Sena MLA Uday Samant told the media Thursday that Shinde wanted to “work for the party”, but legislators urged him to be in government. “Nobody else is eyeing the deputy CM’s post. If not Shinde, then no Sena MLA will take up a cabinet post either,” he said.
However, hours before the ceremony, Shinde relented.
(Edited by Dewang Goyal)
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