Devendra Fadnavis will take the oath as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister today at Mumbai’s iconic Azad Maidan, officially closing one of the most fiercely fought and monitored political sagas that unfolded in Maharashtra. The oath-taking ceremony will commence at 5:30 PM, with other dignitaries expected to attend from across the national party spectrum, including the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and Home Minister, Amit Shah.
The Mahayuti’s alliance of the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction won the Maharashtra assembly elections, securing 230 seats out of 288. With 132 seats within the alliance, this showed the re-establishment of the BJP as a far-reaching political force in Maharashtra. For every step of the nomination of Fadnavis as a candidate for Chief Minister, there were reports about consultations held among the parties to finalize his candidature; this interview secured his reputation as an experienced political manager who has played the roles of an astute strategist and negotiator.
The new government is likely to include two deputy chief ministers’ alliance partners, this being intended to ensure a balance in the approach towards developing a power-sharing formula that would prove to be efficient in ruling. Sources suggest that the alliance has also extended invitations to over 1,000 beneficiaries of government welfare schemes, making the event not just political but a symbolic representation of the coalition’s inclusive governance approach.
The Fadnavis government is expected to prioritize the agenda for economy, development, infrastructure, and social welfare, depending heavily on the electoral mandate that it possesses. With national and regional leaders aligning with this leadership, the stage is set for a dynamic political phase in the state.
