Sachin Tendulkar to Shah Rukh Khan: A star-studded Azad Maidan welcomes Fadnavis 3.0

As the cultural programmes were held on one of the stages, the third one was occupied by specially invited religious gurus and saints.

Written by: Alok Deshpande, Siddhant Konduskar

5 min readMumbaiUpdated: Dec 6, 2024 08:22 AM IST

shahrukh khan, sachin tendulkar, maharashtra cm oath taking ceremony, devendra fadnavis, indian express

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar during the swearing-in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra Chief Minister, in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

Political leaders, business honchos and leading Bollywood actors were among thousands who reached Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on Thursday as BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn-in as the 21st Chief Minister of Maharashtra, in what turned out to be one of the biggest swearing-in ceremonies in the state in the recent years.

In the middle of three huge stages at the Azad Maidan was a large banner announcing: “Maharashtra Aata Thambnar Nahi” (Maharashtra will not stop now) — a positive and development oriented theme of the new government led by Devendra Fadnavis. As the cultural programmes were held on one of the stages, the third one was occupied by specially invited religious leaders.

In a glittering ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the ruling alliance’s top national and state leadership, former chief minister Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar were also sworn-in as deputy Chief Ministers.

As Shinde rose up for swearing-in, he remembered Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray and his political guru late Anand Dighe, and went on thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the 13-crore population of Maharashtra, when Governor CP Radhakrishnan interrupted and asked to continue with the oath instead. Among the three leaders, Shinde gained the largest cheer as he walked to the mic to take oath.

While the majority of political leadership of the country occupied the stage, in attendance at the first row were leaders from business and film worlds. These inlcuded industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Anant Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla and Deepak Parekh.

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Bollywood actors Ranbir Kapoor Singh with former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali during the swearing-in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra Chief Minister, in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

A fleet of Bollywood stars, including Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Vidya Balan, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor, and Arjun Kapoor, was also present.

Even though it was swearing-in ceremony of a three-party Mahayuti government, it had an unmissable dominance of the BJP. Even during the cultural programmes held before the ceremony, a special performance of a campaign song on Devendra Fadnavis was delivered.

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As the songs giving a call to hoist saffron flag once again in Maharashtra and to hand over the power to those who brought Lord Ram played on high volume, the crowd danced and cheered.

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Renowned singers and composers Kailash Kher and Ajay-Atul delivered energetic performances to entertain the audience that had converged in Mumbai from across the state that included beneficiaries of various government schemes.

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Actor Ranbir Kapoor attended the swearing-in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

A group of people from the Koli community in their traditional attire herded at the gate of Azad Maidan and showed their enthusiasm singing Koli songs.

“I am here with all my Koli brothers and sisters to celebrate the return of Mahayuti. It is an historic moment and we couldn’t have missed being here,” said Sada Rahate, from Airoli Gaothan.

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“The government had started Ladki Bahin Yojana which we want to be continued further and we request the new government to give additional focus on homemakers,” said Poornima Bhandari, a homemaker from Mira road.

Archana Kardak, a BJP party worker from Goregaon, seated in the front row at the ceremony along with her group of around 50 women, said, “The major vote turnout that the Mahayuti alliance got in the elections is the result of the government’s focus on women empowerment which no government this before focused on. Keeping women at the focal point has really worked well for the party and everyone is undoubtedly happy with the work of the Shinde-Fadnavis government.”

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Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani and bollywood actor Salman Khan during the swearing-in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra Chief Minister, in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)

Ruturaj Karandikar, who calls himself a “fan” of Devendra Fadanvis, came from Pune to witness the swearing-in ceremony. “Being an ardent fan of Devendra ji, this ceremony is delightful. I knew Deva Bhau would return back as he promised last time,” he said.

Karandikar and his friends then gave a rally cry: “To punha aala, ek pant, lakho shant (He returned. One Pant — a term used for a person from the Brahmin community — silences lakhs)”.

(With inputs from Sapna Dodmani)

Alok Deshpande

Alok Deshpande is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized for his focused and authoritative reporting on governance, politics, and the socio-economic dynamics of Maharashtra's hinterlands. His unique academic background in Geology and early work in the water sector provides a specialized layer of Expertise to his reporting on resource and environmental issues. Expertise Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express, Mumbai. Core Authority: Alok provides detailed coverage of Maharashtra politics and governance, with a particular emphasis on how policies and power struggles affect the rural and semi-urban areas (the 'hinterlands'). Key Coverage Areas: His reports frequently focus on high-stakes administrative and political topics, including: State Assembly Proceedings: In-depth reporting on the Legislative Assembly, covering ministerial statements, legislative debates, and inter-party conflict within the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Policy & Finance: Coverage of state finances, including supplementary budget demands, fiscal deficits, and major government schemes (e.g., Jal Jeevan Mission, Ladki Bahin Yojana). Rural and Social Issues: Reports on critical health issues (e.g., child deaths in districts), human-animal conflict (leopard attacks, stray dogs), and agrarian concerns (e.g., farmer suicides). Local and Urban Governance: Covers major announcements regarding urban development (e.g., BMC's OC amnesty scheme, pagdi system push) and local body elections, including political defections and alliance splits. Unique Credentials & Trustworthiness Academic Specialization: Holds a Post-graduate degree in Geology. This background gives him a foundational understanding of natural resources, which directly informs his reporting on environment, water, and infrastructure projects. Early Professional Experience: His shift to journalism came after working with an NGO focused on the water sector. This practical experience strengthens his Expertise in critical areas like water management and rural development, as evidenced by his reporting on the Jal Jeevan Mission. Journalism Training: An alumnus of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, confirming his formal training and commitment to rigorous journalistic standards. Alok Deshpande's rare combination of scientific education, non-profit sector experience, and deep political reporting makes him a highly trusted and authoritative voice on the governance and ground realities of Maharashtra. He tweets @alokdesh ... Read More

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