Maharashtra: Fadnavis took oath as CM, NCP's Pawar his Deputy
On November 23, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra amid deadlock over government formation of the state. And, in an unexpected turn of events, Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy CM. The oath was administered by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhawan. Here are more details.
Here are the visuals
Maharashtra needed a stable government, Fadnavis says
After taking oath, Fadnavis said, "People had given us a clear mandate, but Shiv Sena tried to ally with other parties after results, as a result President's rule was imposed. Maharashtra needed a stable government not a 'khichdi' government."
What happened in Maharashtra till now?
The political climate in Maharashtra intensified after the pre-poll alliance of Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena fell apart. The alliance crumbled over debates of power-sharing after they won a majority in the Maharashtra polls last month. Since the alliance fell apart, no party was able to prove a majority in the Assembly. Hence, on November 12, President's rule was imposed in the state.
Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray had (almost) become the CM
Thereafter, Sena tried to form the alliance with Congress and NCP. In fact, just yesterday, NCP head Sharad Pawar said Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has been chosen by NCP, Congress and Sena for the CM post. The three parties had recently announced a post-poll alliance, following weeks of deadlock in the state. However, Congress leader Ahmed Patel was reluctant to give a conclusive answer.
Sharad Pawar held discussions with BJP on the side: Sources
Notably, NCP chief Sharad Pawar was part of discussions for a Fadnavis-led government in Maharashtra and had given his assent to Ajit Pawar, sources told ANI. To recall, reports had earlier emerged stating that Pawar was trying to strike an alliance with the BJP, however, they went largely ignored amid the noise over the formation of a Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP alliance.
NCP doesn't support Ajit Pawar's decision: Sharad Pawar
However, Sharad Pawar rubbished the reports claiming Ajit Pawar acted independently and the NCP does not "support or endorse this decision of his." Senior NCP leader Praful Patel also added, "This is not NCP's decision and does not have Sharad Pawar saheb's support." Separately, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi expressed shock over the latest development, confessing he "thought it was fake news."
You can check Singhvi's tweet here
History is made by the people the world mocked: Raut
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena, which was made the laughing stock in this 'khichdi', seemed to not lose hope. Party spokesperson Sanjay Raut tweeted, "Jis jis par ye jag hasa hai, us hi ne itihaas racha hai." (History is made by the people the world mocked)
PM Modi congratulates Fadnavis and Pawar
How many seats did each one of them win, anyway?
To jog your memory, polls happened in Maharashtra on October 21, the results were declared on October 24. Sena had won 56 seats and BJP won 105 in the Assembly elections. On the other hand, Congress had won 44 seats, while NCP grabbed 54.
