In a dramatic twist, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the Maharashtra Chief Minister for a second term on November 23rd, 2019 more than a week after the state was placed under President’s Rule. On the other hand, Nationalist Conference Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s nephew, Ajit Pawar, took oath as his deputy.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath of Fadnavis and Pawar at the Raj Bhavan.
The development is stunning as the nation expected an alliance excluding the BJP to claim the right to form a government. There were deliberations between the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena to form a government in the state. After the first joint meeting on November 22nd, 2019, the three parties said Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be the Chief Minister.
Minutes after Fadnavis and Pawar sworn-in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated them and said he was “confident they will work diligently for the bright future of Maharashtra”. “Congratulations to @Dev_Fadnavis Ji and @AjitPawarSpeaks Ji on taking oath as the CM and Deputy CM of Maharashtra respectively. I am confident they will work diligently for the bright future of Maharashtra,” Modi tweeted.
Photo credit: @CMOMaharashtra
