Eknath Shinde to take oath as Maharashtra Deputy CM tomorrow along with Ajit Pawar

Pic/Atul Kamble

Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde is set to take oath on Thursday evening as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister (CM), news agency ANI stated, quoting Shiv Sena sources.

While Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn in as the Maharashtra CM, Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar will also take oath as the Deputy CM.

The ceremony will be held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Azad Maidan.

While Pawar had confirmed in the press conference held earlier that he will be Fadnavis's deputy, Shinde had asked reporters to wait till Wednesday evening for confirmation over his role in the government.

Fadnavis was unanimously elected as the Leader of the Maharashtra BJP Legislative Party earlier today. He then, along with Shinde and Pawar, met Governor CP Radhakrishnan to stake their claim to form the Mahayuti Government in Maharashtra.

"The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be held tomorrow at 5.30 pm in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We will finalise by evening who will take the oath tomorrow. Yesterday, I met Eknath Shinde and requested him to join us in this government, as it is the wish of Mahayuti workers. I am confident he will be with us. We will fulfil the promises made to the people of Maharashtra," Fadnavis stated after his meeting with the Governor.

After meeting the Governor, Shinde expressed his satisfaction with the two-and-a-half years of the Mahayuti Government in Maharashtra.

"I am very happy with the completion of two-and-a-half years. The work done by our Mahayuti government, by the three of us and our team in the past two-and-a-half years is remarkable. It will be written in golden letters in history. We are proud to have taken significant decisions," said Shinde during the press conference in which he was accompanied by Fadnavis and Pawar.

While addressing the media, Pawar emphasised the government's commitment to effective governance. "We will leave no stone unturned in running the government. Party activities will be managed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule and NCP's Sunil Tatkare," he said.

The 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Election witnessed a resounding victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which secured a landslide win with 235 seats out of 288. The results marked a significant milestone for the BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats.

The Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party also recorded notable gains, securing 57 and 41 seats, respectively.

(With ANI inputs)