Devendra Fadnavis is set to take oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday, December 5, at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. The ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Maharashtra’s caretaker Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, on Wednesday extended his congratulations to Chief Minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis on being chosen as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Legislative Party leader. However, Shinde kept the suspense intact by refraining from disclosing whether he would join the new cabinet.
Devendra Fadnavis will take oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday, December 5, at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance. The ceremony will also witness the swearing-in of two deputy chief ministers, including NCP leader Ajit Pawar. However, uncertainty surrounds whether outgoing CM Eknath Shinde will join the new Mahayuti cabinet led by Fadnavis.
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After meeting Governor CP Radhakrishnan, Devendra Fadnavis announced, “The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will take place tomorrow at 5:30 PM in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I met Eknath Shinde and urged him to join us in this government, as it reflects the wish of Mahayuti workers. We are committed to fulfilling the promises made to the people of Maharashtra.
Eknath Shinde expressed his happiness over the successful two-and-a-half-year tenure of the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra.
“I am delighted with the achievements of the past 2.5 years. The work accomplished by our Mahayuti government, led by the three of us and our team, is truly remarkable. It will be etched in golden letters in history. We take pride in the significant decisions we have made,” said Shinde.
When asked if he would take oath on Thursday, Eknath Shinde told journalists to wait until the evening. Ajit Pawar chimed in, saying, “We’ll know about Shinde by evening, but I will take the oath—I won’t wait.”
Shinde smiled at Pawar’s remark and quipped, “Dada (Ajit Pawar) has experience taking oaths both in the morning and evening,” prompting laughter from those present.
