T20 over, now Test, says Devendra Fadnavis after oath as Maharashtra CM for third time; Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar are deputies

Barring the top three of the Mahayuti, which secured 230 of the 288 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly, no other leader was administered the oath of office – this suggested that the partners were still in talks to finalise portfolios for the incoming team.

Under the rules, the state Cabinet can have a maximum of 43 ministers, including the Chief Minister.

In first remarks after the ceremony, Fadnavis said, “When I took oath with Shindeji, it was a 50-over match, when Ajit Pawar joined it became a Twenty20. Now I have told bureaucrats that this is a Test match and they need to take decisions accordingly (for long-term).”

“Even though our roles may have changed (CM/Deputy CMs), we will work in the same direction with greater coordination for the larger welfare of the state. I want to reassure 14 crore people of Maharashtra, which has bestowed great responsibilities on us through a massive mandate…. We will fulfill all assurances mentioned in our manifesto and take all segments together,” he said, adding that he will respect the Opposition not based on their numbers but based on the issues they raise.

“We promise a transparent government dedicated to fulfilling the promises made in our poll manifesto. The Ladki Bahin Yojana will continue and the allowance will be hiked from Rs 1500 to Rs 2100,” he said.

“We have already decided the Cabinet structure along with ministerial representation for each party and portfolios. There are some issues which have to be fine-tuned and will be done soon. The Cabinet expansion will happen before the winter session in Nagpur,” he said.

Fadnavis, who was elected leader of the BJP legislative party at its meeting Wednesday, became the Chief Minister for the third time. In 2014, Fadnavis was handpicked by Prime Minister Modi for the post after he led the party to victory and completed five years at the helm. In 2019, Fadnavis took oath as Chief Minister along with Ajit Pawar as Deputy Chief Minister. But the government lasted barely 72 hours.

Shinde’s decision to take charge as the Deputy Chief Minister came at the eleventh hour, minutes before Amit Shah landed in Mumbai. Shinde, who was Chief Minister from 2022 to 2024, had made his displeasure known after being denied the post last week.

Ajit Pawar, who was the first alliance partner to pledge support to Fadnavis’s candidature as CM, became Deputy Chief Minister for the sixth time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP (Ajit faction) leader Ajit Pawar during the swearing-in ceremony, in Mumbai. (Express Express Photo by Narendra Vaskar)

While Fadnavis represents the Brahmin community, Shinde and Ajit Pawar belong to the Maratha community.

Soon after the oath-taking ceremony, Fadnavis held a Cabinet meeting with the Deputy Chief Ministers. The first decision of the new Cabinet was the allocation of Rs 5 lakh to a Pune-based patient, Chandrakant Shankar Kurhade, from the Chief Minister’s relief fund. Earlier, Kurhade’s wife had sought help from the CM relief fund for a bone marrow transplant for her ailing husband.

Earlier in the day, Fadnavis visited the Siddhivinayak and Mumbadevi temples in Mumbai and offered prayers. He also performed a gaumata puja (cow worship) at his official residence Sagar.