NEW DELHI: Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the ceremony, which also saw Ajit Pawar from the NCP and former CM Eknath Shinde from Shiv Sena taking oath as deputy chief ministers.
The oath was administered by Maharashtra governor C P Radhakrishnan.
This is the third time Fadnavis, who represents Nagpur as an MLA, has assumed the role of Maharashtra chief minister. The event followed two weeks of discussions after the state assembly elections held on November 20, with results announced on November 23.
Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, BJP president J P Nadda were among the political heavyweights present during the event.
The oath-taking ceremony was also attended by prominent industrialists, including Mukesh Ambani and Kumar Mangalam Birla. Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and actors Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh were also present at the event.
The BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats in the 288-member House. Together with its allies, Shiv Sena and NCP, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition has a majority of 230 seats.
On Wednesday, Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar met governor CP Radhakrishnan to formally stake their claim to form the government, submitting letters of support from the coalition. The governor subsequently invited Fadnavis to lead the new government.