Devendra Fadnavis was unanimously elected leader at the Maharashtra BJP legislature party meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday, paving the way for him to become the Chief Minister.
The swearing-in ceremony will take place in Mumbai on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sources said Fadnavis’ name for the top post was finalized in the BJP’s core committee meeting held before the legislature party meeting.
Devendra Fadnavis unanimously elected as the Leader of Maharashtra BJP Legislative Party. pic.twitter.com/015hrTDxtn
— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2024
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said that Mahayuti alliance leaders will meet Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Wednesday at 3.30 pm to stake claim to form the government.
Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani were present at the BJP Legislature Party meeting held at Vidhan Bhawan in Mumbai. The BJP had appointed Sitharaman and Rupani as central observers for the meeting.
The BJP achieved remarkable success in the elections held in Maharashtra on 20 November, winning 132 of the 288 assembly seats in the state, its best performance so far in the state.
With its allies – Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP – the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance has an overwhelming majority of 230 seats.
On Tuesday, Fadnavis met caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his official residence ‘Varsha’, the first face-to-face meeting after the government formation talks in Delhi last week.
While details of the hour-long meeting remain unclear, some political observers believe it to be an attempt by the BJP to appease the ally, which is weighing its options, while others believe it will be held on December 5. There was preliminary discussion regarding the swearing-in ceremony.
Preparations are in full swing for the swearing-in ceremony to be held on Thursday at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai, which will be attended by around 2,000 VVIPs and 40,000 supporters apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Several Union ministers and 19 chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of various states are also expected to attend the event. BJP leader Prasad Lad has said that the ceremony will be a “historic moment” for Maharashtra.
“The event will be telecast live across the state wherever LED screens are available,” he said.
There are indications that division of portfolios among the three allies may not be a smooth process. Shiv Sena leaders on Monday said as per the “tradition” of coalition politics, if the CM post goes to the BJP, their party should get the Home portfolio.
A Shiv Sena leader also said that there has been a broad consensus among top BJP leaders and other allies of Mahauti on the removal of ministers facing serious corruption charges in the new government.