Devendra Fadnavis to be sworn in as Maharashtra chief minister on Dec 5

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is all set to return as Maharashtra’s chief minister for a historic third term, following a critical consensus reached during the BJP core committee meeting on Wednesday. The decision, which ended days of suspense, cements Fadnavis’s leadership at the helm of Maharashtra’s new government.

The proposal for Fadnavis's appointment was made by former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was appointed as the party’s observer for the Maharashtra legislature meeting. It was swiftly seconded by senior BJP leaders, including Sudhir Mungantiwar and Pankaja Munde, confirming Fadnavis's return as the state's CM.

The grand swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, December 5, at 5 pm at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, where Fadnavis will take the oath alongside key political allies—Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), both of whom are expected to be appointed deputy chief ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend the event.

This major political development follows the Mahayuti alliance's resounding victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections held nearly two weeks ago. The alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (led by Eknath Shinde), and the NCP (under Ajit Pawar’s leadership), secured 232 of the 288 seats, making it the dominant force in Maharashtra politics. Despite this overwhelming mandate, the alliance initially struggled to finalise leadership roles, particularly after Eknath Shinde's insistence on continuing as the chief minister.

The impasse was resolved last week when Shinde made a public statement agreeing to step aside for the sake of party unity. He expressed his willingness to abide by the decisions of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, thus paving the way for Fadnavis’s confirmation as the next CM.

Fadnavis, who is credited as the architect of the BJP’s record-breaking success in Maharashtra, was pivotal in securing 132 of the 149 seats contested by the party. His return to the chief minister's post is further solidified by the backing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a key ally of the BJP, reinforcing his position within the party.

This development marks a remarkable turnaround for Fadnavis, who has been the BJP’s face in Maharashtra for many years. His first term as chief minister in 2014 marked a historic moment when the BJP formed a coalition government with the undivided Shiv Sena. However, after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Shiv Sena walked out of the alliance, triggering a political crisis.

During the crisis, Fadnavis led a brief government in November 2019 after forming a partnership with Ajit Pawar. Fadnavis took the oath as chief minister, and Ajit Pawar as deputy CM. However, this government lasted only 80 hours as Ajit Pawar returned to the NCP fold, leading to the fall of the government and paving the way for a new coalition under Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership.

Now, nearly four years later, Fadnavis’s return to power signals a significant change in Maharashtra’s political landscape, with the BJP set to once again lead the state.