North News
Mumbai, December 4
Leaders of the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra met Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan on Wednesday to stake their claim to form a new government. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis will take oath as the state’s Chief Minister for the third time on Thursday, following a crucial meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar to be sworn in as deputy chief ministers. The Governor has invited them to take oath at 5.30 pm on Thursday.
Ajit Pawar took to X, formerly Twitter, to confirm that the alliance—comprising BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction)—met with the Governor and formally staked its claim to form a government. The leaders handed over a letter to Radhakrishnan nominating Fadnavis for the post of Chief Minister. Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani were also present, he added.
Fadnavis, who served as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister in 2014 and briefly in 2019, is a key figure known for managing complex political alliances. His return follows the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in 2022 when Shinde’s rebellion led to a reshuffling that ultimately paved the way for the Mahayuti coalition’s success.
In the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Mahayuti alliance triumphed with a significant victory, with the BJP securing 132 of the 148 seats it contested. The Shiv Sena faction won 57 seats, further bolstering the alliance’s strength.
The decision to nominate Fadnavis was endorsed by BJP’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, during a core committee meeting on Wednesday.
