New Maharashtra government to be sworn in on December 5, BJP's Fadnavis frontrunner for CM post

The new Mahayuti government in Maharashtra will be sworn in at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on the evening of December 5 in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence, the state BJP announced on Saturday.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Nov 30, 2024, 7:37 PM IST | Last Updated Nov 30, 2024, 7:37 PM IST

The new Mahayuti government in Maharashtra will be sworn in on the evening of December 5 at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state BJP announced on Saturday.

Although the identity of the new chief minister has not been officially confirmed, BJP sources suggest that Devendra Fadnavis, who has served as chief minister twice and was the deputy CM in the previous Eknath Shinde-led government, is the leading contender for the position.

Meanwhile, Shinde, who is currently serving as the caretaker chief minister, had traveled to his native village Dare in Satara district a day earlier, amid speculation that he was dissatisfied with how the new government was taking shape. According to his aide, Shinde is also unwell, running a high fever of 105 degrees.

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for 5 pm at Azad Maidan, as announced by state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on X. PM Modi is expected to attend the event.

Shiv Sena leader Shambhuraj Desai, from Satara district, informed reporters that Eknath Shinde and other party leaders returned from Delhi early on Friday after meeting with top BJP officials. Desai explained that Shinde had been suffering from a cough and cold since then and, due to exertion, was advised to rest.

Sanjay Shirsat, a Shiv Sena leader close to Shinde, emphasized that his party must secure the home portfolio. Speaking to PTI, Shirsat also suggested that there were attempts to marginalize Shinde.

Meanwhile, a BJP leader revealed that a meeting will be held on December 2 to elect the BJP legislature party leader. The leader also indicated that Fadnavis is likely to be appointed as the new chief minister.

Shinde, who has led the Shiv Sena and served as chief minister since June 2022, attended a meeting of the ruling alliance leaders with senior BJP leader Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday night. Prior to the meeting, Shinde had stated that he would accept any decision made by the BJP leadership regarding the chief minister's position.

Eknath Shinde is facing pressure from a faction of Shiv Sena leaders who believe he should not serve as deputy CM, given that he has already held the chief minister's position for over two years. However, another group within the party insists that Shinde must be included in the new government.

The Mahayuti alliance, consisting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), secured a resounding victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections, the results of which were announced on November 23.

With a simple majority of 145 seats required in the 288-member House, the BJP emerged as the dominant party with 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and NCP with 41 seats.

Despite this victory, the government formation process has been delayed as the alliance has struggled to reach a consensus on who will be the chief minister.

Shinde, Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar met with BJP president J.P. Nadda and Union minister Amit Shah late on Thursday night to discuss the power-sharing arrangement. Although Shinde seemed to have given up his claim to the chief minister’s post, signs of lingering disagreements within the alliance surfaced when a meeting scheduled for Friday was postponed, and Shinde instead traveled to his village, Dare.

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP has already expressed its support for Fadnavis as the new chief minister.

Sanjay Raut of the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) criticized the "unnatural verdict" of the election, claiming it was responsible for the delay in selecting the chief minister. He also suggested that the internal differences within the ruling alliance forced Eknath Shinde to return to his village.

Meanwhile, the Opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a major defeat in the November 20 elections, with the Congress securing 16 seats, Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) winning 10 seats, and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) claiming 20 seats.

MVA leaders, including Sharad Pawar, expressed support for social activist Baba Adhav, who began a protest in Pune three days ago over the alleged misuse of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the elections. Pawar accused the government of using power and money to manipulate the election machinery.

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