Fadnavis back as Maha CM, Shinde and Ajit his deputies

Devendra Fadnavis will take oath as the next chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday alongside two deputies after the 54-year-old was elected leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) legislative party unit and staked claim to power, ending nearly two weeks of suspense over government formation.

- Surendra P Gangan

Fadnavis's swearing-in at Mumbai's Azad Maidan at 5.30pm on Thursday will complete a remarkable arc for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) loyalist who first served as chief minister for five years between 2014 and 2019, became the CM for five days in 2019, and then led the BJP to its best-ever performance in the 2024 assembly elections.

Outgoing chief minister Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) head Ajit Pawar are both expected to take oath alongside Fadnavis at the ceremony, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I have personally requested Shinde saheb to be part of the new government. The post of chief minister or deputy chief minister are just technical things. All three of us will work together for the state," Fadnavis said, with Shinde and Pawar seated next to him.

When asked if he will take oath, Shinde asked everyone to wait till evening. Pawar interjected and said, "We will know about Shinde by evening, but I will take it (oath), I will not wait." Shinde smiled at the response.

"Dada (Ajit Pawar) has experience of taking [oath] both in the morning and evening," he said, eliciting laughter. His allusion to an early morning oath-taking in 2019 by Fadnavis and Pawar as the CM and deputy CM of a government that was to collapse five days later.

Fadnavis, along with Shinde and Ajit Pawar, called on governor CP Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan, where the Mahayuti staked claim to form the government with the support of 236 legislators.

The developments appeared to end the stalemate that had stalled government formation after the Mahayuti trounced the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which won just 50 seats, in the November 20 assembly elections.