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Journalism of Courage
Devendra Fadnavis oath-taking ceremony: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Devendra Fadnavis is set to reverse his fortunes Thursday as he is poised to take oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the third time. As the BJP recorded a stunning victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Fadnavis was seen as the man for the top post in the state.
The seal of approval, however, came 10 days after the Mayayuti’s victory.
The delay came as the BJP tried to placate its Mahayuti ally and outgoing CM Eknath Shinde, whose Shiv Sena insisted he remain at the top post. Finally, on December 3, the saffron party and Fadnavis managed to bring Shinde and his Shiv Sena around.
Along with Fadnavis, two deputy chief ministers will also take oath, one of whom will be the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)’s Ajit Pawar. Shinde is likely to be the second deputy CM but a confirmation is awaited.
No other leader will be sworn in today, signalling that the Mahayuti partners are still negotiating the contours of the government’s formation.
In the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly, the Mahayuti won 235 seats, with the BJP accounting for 132 seats, just 12 short of the halfway mark. Shinde’s Sena won 57 seats and Ajit Pawar’s NCP managed to secure 20 seats.
Ahead of the swearing-in of Fadnavis, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut hit out at the Mahayuti alliance. “Shinde era is over, it was just for two years. His usage is now over and he has been tossed aside. Shinde will never be the CM of this state again. They can even break Shinde’s party. This has always been the BJP’s line in politics. They break and finish the party of those who work with them,” said the Rajya Sabha MP.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said the Mahayuti is not forming a government “in the interest of the people”. “…there was some deep infighting and it took 11 days to solve that and declare the name of Devendra Fadnavis. If this is how it is beginning, the end will also be in a similar way,” he added.
In the run-up to the Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024, Fadnavis was the face of the BJP campaign in the state. He served as the Maharashtra CM from 2014 to 2019, bringing investments to the state and handling the Maratha quota issue at the time.
In 2019, when the BJP was re-elected to power, their alliance with the then-undivided Shiv Sena fell through. Engineering a split in the NCP, dividing uncle and nephew, Fadnavis took oath with Ajit Pawar as the deputy CM. The government last just for 80 hours, with Ajit Pawar returning to his uncle, Sharad Pawar. A government of the Maha Vikas Aghadi — the alliance of the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress — then took shape.
At the time, Fadnavis proclaimed he would be back as the Maharashtra CM.
Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony brings back memories of 2022 when Fadnavis, Shinde, and Ajit Pawar took oath to form a mid-term government. The Mahayuti managed to dislodge the MVA government, but Fadnavis was relegated to the post of deputy CM.
However, the BJP’s return to power was no mean feat. Handing defeat to then-CM Uddhav Thackeray and veteran leader Sharad Pawar, Shinde and Ajit Pawar split the Shiv Sena and NCP to form their factions. In the Mahayuti government, Shinde took oath as the CM.
The Maharashtra CM swearing-in ceremony will be held at 5.30 pm at Azad Maidan. While the ground is no stranger to politics, this would be the first time that the oath-taking is being held at Azad Maidan. The ground has witnessed countless protests, right from the Independence movement to the 2021 farmers’ protest.
Who will attend?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Cabinet ministers, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and a host of VIP leaders will be present during the Maharashtra CM swearing-in ceremony.
According to Mahayuti leaders, invites have also been sent to Opposition leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.
What are the security measures?
The Mumbai police have put in place an extensive security arrangement. At least five additional commissioners of police, 15 deputy commissioners of police, and 29 assistant commissioners of police will be deployed in and around the venue. Over 500 police officers and 3,500 constables will also be present at the Azad Maidan.
The traffic police have issued an advisory for commuters ahead of the oath-taking ceremony. They have asked attendees to rely on public transport due to the lack of parking facilities at the Azad Maidan.
Traffic will be prohibited from C S M T Junction to Vasudev Balawant Phadake Chowk (Metro Junction).
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