Devendra Fadnavis Takes Oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister for Third Term

Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the third time through a grand ceremony held in Azad Maidan at Mumbai. Over 42,000 people witnessed the swearing event that included some of the top political minds, celebrities, and business tycoons.

This is a big-time political moment for Maharashtra now as Mahayuti has clearly emerged with a strong and commanding majority in the State Assembly.

Grand Swearing-In Ceremony with VIP Guests

The oath-taking ceremony saw dignitaries like Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the front, but the list didn’t stop there. Bollywood icons Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit, cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, and industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla were some of those in attendance.

The event also consisted of Union ministers, the chief ministers, and the deputy chief ministers of numerous states. Special seating arrangements were available for 40,000 BJP supporters and 2,000 VVIPs with religious leaders. Security measures were tight, with more than 4,000 police personnel deployed to see that the event went ahead without any hitch.

Powerful Majority in the Maharashtra Assembly

The new government was formed following the resounding victory of the Mahayuti alliance in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections. BJP, which has won 132 seats on its own, formed a coalition with the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde and NCP groups led by Ajit Pawar. The majority is massive with 230 seats in the 288-member assembly.

When asked about the swearing-in of other ministers, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said, “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 announcement hints at ongoing power-sharing negotiations within the Mahayuti alliance to finalize the composition of the council of ministers.

Devendra Fadnavis: A Leader with a Proven Track Record

This is the third term for Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He was first in 2014 to 2019, during which he headed a BJP-Shiv Sena government. In the 2019 elections, when Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray split from the BJP over the CM post, Fadnavis had a short stint as CM in a coalition with Ajit Pawar as his deputy. But the same government was a brief one; it lasted for only 72 hours, with no support from NCP MLAs.

In 2022, after Shiv Sena had split, Fadnavis was appointed Deputy Chief Minister by Eknath Shinde. With Shinde becoming Deputy Chief Minister now, Fadnavis will return to the position of Chief Minister, as this marks the changing of guard in the Mahayuti alliance.