News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 4th December 2024
Devendra Fadnavis will take oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister tomorrow at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, beginning his third term. The BJP leadership announced Mr Fadnavis as its candidate for Chief Minister today, potentially putting an end to the long-running speculation about who will take the top job. Soon after, his name was presented to the newly elected legislators, and their approval confirmed his appointment.
The changes are taking place as Azad Maidan in Mumbai prepares for the major oath ceremony, two weeks after the BJP-led Mahayuti won a landslide victory in the state elections. Mr Fadnavis met with Governor CP Radhakrishnan, Shiv Sena chairman Eknath Shinde, and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, and asserted his claim to form the government.
At the BJP legislators’ meeting, Mr Fadnavis expressed his gratitude for being appointed the legislature party’s leader and stated that he would not be here without the support of the BJP’s 132 MLAs. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support and stated that the BJP’s ‘twin engine’ government will drive development in Maharashtra. He claimed the Mahayuti’s triumph was due to the Prime Minister’s ‘ek hain to safe hain’ campaign.
The selection of Mr Fadnavis by the BJP’s core committee brings an end to Maharashtra’s 11-day wait to find out who would be the next chief minister. Following the election results, in which Mahayuti won 230 of 288 seats in the Assembly, Shiv Sena leaders emphasized that Mr Shinde led the alliance into the polls and must continue as Chief Minister. The BJP, on the other hand, made it clear that it would take the top spot this time, having won 132 of the 148 seats it fought. Eventually, Mr Shinde stated publicly that he would not be an impediment to government formation and would accept any choice made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on the Chief Minister position.
Mr Shinde did not have much leverage to push a hard bargain since the BJP now needs only one of its allies to reach the majority mark in the Assembly and the NCP has reportedly pledged its support. But despite the Sena chief’s public statement clearing his position on the top post, the posturing by party leaders continued, with statements stressing that Mr Shinde’s contribution to the Mahayuti win must not be overlooked.
