Eknath Shinde takes oath as Maharashtra CM, Fadnavis his deputy
Eknath Shinde on Thursday took oath as the Maharashtra chief minister, beginning his first term with a ceremony at which BJP leader and former CM Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as his deputy. Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath to them. Earlier, the duo met the Governor at the Raj Bhawan to stake a claim for the government formation in the state.
New announcement throws a surprise for everyone
On Wednesday, Uddhav Thackeray's resignation put an end to the week-long political standoff in Maharashtra, caused by an uprising by Shiv Sena MLAs. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has likewise disintegrated after a two-and-a-half-year tenure. Although it was expected that Fadnavis will be the CM, the new announcement throws a surprise for everyone.
Home Minister Amit Shah reveals Fadnavis followed Nadda's advice
Shinde thanked PM Modi, Fadnavis
Shinde thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Fadnavis, and other BJP leaders. "It's their magnanimity. They had a bigger mandate, yet they made me the Chief Minister. Who does that?" he said. Meanwhile, Fadnavis said he would stay out of the government. "I will ensure it runs smoothly," he said in the joint press conference adding that no other minister will take oath on Thursday.
Ideology, not position prompted them to support BJP: Kesarkar
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Sena rebels Deepak Kesarkar emphasized that it was ideology, not hunger for power that prompted them to support BJP. He further stated that the rebels did not betray Uddhav Thackeray and continue to love and respect him. He said that the Shiv Sena is now the renegade faction since Thackeray is a minority member of the party.
Political drama that played out in three states
After the rebellion in Shiv Sena by legislators led by Shinde, the party was left with only 13 MLAs. Shinde and a group of rebel legislators arrived in Surat, Gujarat, in luxury buses. Later, they were taken to Guwahati, Assam on chartered planes. On Wednesday night, they arrived in Goa to prepare for a probable strength test, which became void after Thackeray's resignation..
BJP first denied any role in the coup
To recall, the BJP denied any role in the Shiv Sena crisis, despite evidence to the contrary. Fadnavis met twice with the rebel leadership throughout the unrest. For a meeting with Fadnavis and Union Home Minister and BJP chief strategist Amit Shah, Shinde was flown from Guwahati to Vadodara. Some reports also revealed that BJP facilitated stay and travel of the rebel MLAs.
