Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday evening took oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister, while leaders of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, were sworn in as deputy chief ministers at a grand ceremony in south Mumbai’s sprawling Azad Maidan. PM Modi, several Union ministers and CMs of various states besides thousands of supporters of the Mahayuti alliance were present at the swearing-in ceremony.
This is the third time that Fadnavis (54), an MLA from Nagpur, sworn in as the CM of Maharashtra. The formation of the government under Fadnavis comes after two weeks of intense negotiations following the November 20 state assembly polls, the results of which were declared on November 23.
Fadnavis had emerged as the frontrunner for the coveted post following the BJP’s strong showing in the elections as it secured 132 seats in the 288-member House. Together with its allies Shiv Sena and NCP, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition has a commanding majority of 230 seats. On Wednesday, Fadnavis, joined by Shinde and Pawar, met with state Governor CP Radhakrishnan to formally stake claim to form the government, presenting letters of support from the coalition partners.
Following this meeting, the governor extended an invitation for Fadnavis to lead the new government. At the legislature party meeting earlier on Wednesday, Fadnavis thanked the BJP legislators for reposing trust in him, adding that the thumping victory of the ruling Mahayuti alliance was due to the mantra of “Ek hai toh safe hai” given by PM Modi.
Here are the live updates:
After the swearing-in ceremony, Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar posed for photographs with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Devendra Fadnavis has taken oath as Maharashtra CM for a third time. Along with him, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were also sworn-in as his deputies. Governor Radhakrishnan administered the oath to the leaders.
Maharashtra CM-designate Devendra Fadnavis seeks blessings from his mother before the swearing-in ceremony.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived at Azad Maidan, where he was greeted by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Actor Shah Rukh Khan has also arrived at the venue to witness Fadnavis’s swearing-in as Maharashtra Chief Minister.
Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh are among the attendees of the oath-taking ceremony.
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar along with wife Anjali Tendulkar arrive at Azad Maidan to attend the oath-taking ceremony.
Maharashtra CM-designate Devendra Fadnavis’s wife Amruta Fadnavis highlights the role of the ‘Ladli Behan’ scheme in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena Chief Eknath Shinde has left for the oath-taking ceremony venue.
The oath-taking ceremony of the Mahayuti government is to be held shortly. A look at the visuals from Azad Maidan, Mumbai.
Union Ministers Amit Shah and JP Nadda have also arrived in Mumbai to witness the oath-taking ceremony.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has arrived to witness the oath-taking ceremony of the Mahayuti government.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar along with Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary have arrived in Mumbai to join the swearing-in ceremony of the Mahayuti government. Notably, Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United (JDU) is a key ally in the BJP-led NDA bloc.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma have also arrived in Mumbai to attend the oath-taking ceremony.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami congratulated the upcoming Mahayuti government upon his arrival in Mumbai.
Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi and Deputy CM Pravati Parida have arrived in Mumbai to witness the oath-taking ceremony.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Brajesh Thakur has also arrived in Mumbai ahead of the grand oath-taking ceremony of the Mahayuti government.
Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Deora has arrived in Mumbai to take part in the swearing-in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies. He also extended his greetings to the upcoming Mahayuti government.
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Dr Premchand Bairwa has arrived in Mumbai to witness the oath-taking ceremony.
Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, a cow has been brought to Devendra Fadnavis’s residence for ‘Gau Pujan’.
Maharashtra CM-designate Devendra Fadnvais arrives at his residence after offering prayers at Shree Siddhivinayak Temple and Shree Mumbadevi Temple, ahead of his swearing-in ceremony today.
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