New Maharashtra CM to take oath on December 5
The new chief minister of Maharashtra will be sworn in on December 5, 2024, at Mumbai's Azad Maidan, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced. He added that the ceremony will begin at 5:00pm and will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and several Union ministers.
Mahayuti alliance's election victory and CM selection
The announcement of the oath-taking ceremony comes after the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance's historic win in the state assembly elections, where they won 230 out of 288 seats. The BJP was the largest party with 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with 41. However, despite the win, suspense still looms over who will be Maharashtra's next chief minister.
Fadnavis and Shinde: Potential candidates for CM post
Senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is a frontrunner for the post. But talks are still on as Eknath Shinde, caretaker chief minister and Shiv Sena leader, visited his native village in Satara district, even as the decision was being made. A crucial meeting of the Mahayuti alliance was delayed due to Shinde's visit but is likely to be held on Sunday.
Shinde expresses willingness to accept PM's decision
In recent talks with BJP President JP Nadda and Shah, no final decision was made on the power-sharing arrangement in the alliance. Shinde has said he won't stand in the way of government formation and has even expressed willingness to accept Prime Minister Modi's decision on the CM's post. Shinde and his deputies, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda to discuss the formation of the state's administration on Thursday.
