Devendra Fadnavis unanimously nominated as BJP's Maharashtra CM candidate

Pic/PTI

Devendra Fadnavis was unanimously nominated as the BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate. He will take oath as the BJP's CM for the third consecutive time in the span of ten years.

It came as poetic justice for the ex-CM who couldn't make his government in 2019 despite winning a majority with a then-alliance partner, Shiv Sena.

When Sena stayed away, he had made a government with Ajit Pawar, then with the undivided Nationalist Congress Party. But that proved to be a short-lived tenure as both resigned within three days. Later, the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government came into being and was pulled down after Eknath Shinde split the Sena. Shinde was made the CM and Fadnavis his deputy in 2022. A year later the government expanded with Ajit Pawar's entry.

The Mahayuti faced the 2024 Assembly elections in the background of the Lok Sabha polls' poor show in Maharashtra. With popular welfare schemes and hard work at the ground level, the BJP registered its best even performance in Maharashtra by winning 132 out of 288 seats. The Shinde Sena won 57 and Ajit Pawar 41.

The government formation has been delayed because of delayed power-sharing talks between the partners. It is said Shinde has overcome his reluctance and will take oath as one of the DyCMs along with Pawar on Thursday.

Fadnavis, a six-time MLA from Nagpur, has also set another record. He broke a jinx that no DyCM can become a CM. Fadnavis was a two-time CM and later worked as a DyCM and he is set to be a CM yet again.