Devendra Fadnavis to be Maharashtra Chief Minister, name cleared at BJP meet
Devendra Fadnavis to be Maharashtra Chief Minister, name cleared at BJP meet
M.U.H
04/12/202415
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is all set to take charge as Maharashtra Chief Minister for a third term after a consensus was reached at a crucial BJP meeting on Wednesday, ending days of suspense after the Mahayuti alliance stormed back to power in India's financial capital. Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde is likely to become the Deputy Chief Minister along with NCP's Ajit Pawar.
Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar will take oath on Thursday at 5 pm at the iconic Azad Maidan in Mumbai, said BJP Maharashtra president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the swearing-in ceremony.
Addressing a party event after being named the chief ministerial pick, Fadnavis reiterated PM Modi's 'ek hai, safe hai' slogan. It seemed to be a hint that the Mahayuti coalition was united.
At the BJP meeting, Fadnavis's name for the top job was proposed by Vijay Rupani, who was sent as the party's observer to Mumbai. The proposal was unanimously seconded by senior BJP leaders like Sudhir Mungantiwar and Pankaja Munde.
The development comes nearly two weeks after the Mahayuti received a massive mandate (230 out of 288 seats) in the Assembly polls. However, the coalition had not been able to decide the contours of the new government after Shinde's initial insistence on being made the Chief Minister again.
Last week, talks moved forward after Shinde publicly said he wouldn't be a "hurdle" to government formation and declared that he would abide by the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Fadnavis was largely seen as the chief architect of the BJP's biggest ever victory in Maharashtra, winning 132 of the 149 seats it contested. The RSS has also been rooting strongly for Fadnavis for the top job in Maharashtra.
The development marks a stunning turnaround for Fadnavis, who has been the BJP's biggest face in Maximum City in recent years.
FROM CHIEF MINISTER FOR 80 HOURS TO THIRD TERM
In 2014, Fadnavis became the Chief Minister for the first time at 44, making him the second-youngest after Sharad Pawar. At the time, the BJP was in coalition with the then undivided Shiv Sena.
After the 2019 Assembly polls, as the Shiv Sena walked out of the alliance amid a tussle over rotational chief ministership, the Fadnavis-led BJP joined hands with Ajit Pawar. Fadnavis took oath as the Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar as the Deputy Chief Minister. However, the government lasted for around 80 hours as Ajit Pawar returned to the NCP fold.
Fadnavis was in the reckoning to be the Chief Minister again in 2022 after Eknath Shinde's rebellion led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. However, then he had to swallow a bitter pill and agreed to be the Deputy Chief Minister under Shinde.
