In a surprising turn of events, Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday took oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra for the second time. NCP’s Ajit Pawar took oath as the deputy chief minister.
Minutes after Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday congratulated him and his deputy NCP’s Ajit Pawar. PM Modi said he was confident the two leaders would work diligently for the future of the state.
Addressing the media soon after taking the oath, Fadnavis said, “I want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for trusting in me. People had given a clear mandate. Shiv Sena rejected the mandate.” “We want to assure the people of Maharashtra that whatever the challenges they are facing, we are going to face them strongly. We stand with the farmers during their time of distress,” he added.
Soon after taking oath as the deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar said, “From the result day to this day no party was able to form government. Maharashtra was facing many problems including farmer issues, so we decided to form a stable government.”
The development comes a day after the alliance between Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress reached a consensus that Uddhav Thackeray would be the new Chief Minister of the state, heading a government of their alliance. NCP chief Sharad Pawar had told reporters, “As far as the Chief Minister’s post goes, there is consensus between the three parties that Uddhav Thackeray will lead the government.”
While the details of the alliance are yet to be announced, Ajit, the nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, seems to have sprung a surprise on his party. The BJP won 105 seats in the 228-member Assembly, while the NCP had garnered 54 seats. Apart from Ajit, no other NCP leader was present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Nisham Ismail