Maharashtra BJP legislature party elects Fadnavis as leader; paves way for him to be CM

Devendra Fadnavis was unanimously elected as the Maharashtra BJP legislature party leader at its meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday (December 4), paving the way for his appointment as the chief minister.

The swearing-in ceremony will be held in Mumbai on Thursday (December 5) in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Fadnavis' name was finalised for the top post at the BJP's core committee meet held in Mumbai ahead of the legislature party meeting, sources said.

Mahayuti leaders to meet Governor

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said leaders of the Mahayuti coalition will meet Governor CP Radhakrishnan at 3.30 pm on Wednesday to stake a claim to form the government.

Union minister Nirmala Sitharamana and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani were present at the BJP legislature party meeting held at the Vidhan Bhawan in Mumbai.

The BJP had appointed Sitharaman and Rupani as central observers for the meet.

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The BJP achieved remarkable success in the November 20 Maharashtra elections, securing 132 out of the 288 assembly seats in the state, marking its best performance in the state so far.

Together with its allies - the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar's NCP - the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition has a commanding majority of 230 seats.

Fadnavis met Shinde on Dec 4

On Tuesday, Fadnavis met caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his official residence, 'Varsha,' here, the first in-person meeting since their discussions in Delhi last week for government formation.

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While the hour-long meeting's details remain unclear, some political observers view it as an outreach effort by the BJP to placate an ally which is weighing its options, while others believe it served as a preliminary discussion regarding the swearing-in ceremony set for December 5.

Preparations on for swearing-in ceremony

Preparations were on in full swing for the swearing-in ceremony to be held on Thursday at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as nearly 2,000 VVIPs and 40,000 supporters.

Several Union ministers, and 19 chief ministers and deputy CMs of various states are also expected to attend the ceremony.

BJP leader Prasad Lad has said the ceremony will be a "historic moment" for Maharashtra.

"The event will be telecast live across the state wherever LED screens are available," he said.

There are indications that the distribution of portfolios among the three allies might not be a smooth process.

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Sena leaders on Monday said that as per the "convention" of alliance politics, their party should get the home portfolio if the CM post went to the BJP.

A Shiv Sena leader also said a broad consensus has emerged among top BJP leaders and other Mahauti allies to drop ministers facing serious allegations of corruption in the new government.

(With agency inputs)