Devendra Fadnavis set to be Maharashtra's CM

Devendra Fadnavis is set to be sworn in as the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra on December 5. His appointment was confirmed after a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) core committee in Mumbai today. Alongside Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, leader of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and Ajit Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), will take oath as the deputy chief ministers of the state. The ceremony will take place at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, with heightened security measures in place, including a deployment of approximately 2,500 Mumbai Police personnel.

The decision to form a government under Fadnavis comes after the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections. In the results announced on November 23, the BJP emerged as the largest party, securing 132 out of the 288 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction won 57 seats, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP secured 41 seats. Together, the "Mahayuti" alliance holds a majority with a total of 230 seats. This majority gives the alliance the authority to form the government.

Despite initial speculations surrounding Eknath Shinde's position within the alliance, his absence from earlier meetings was clarified by his aides, who stated that it was due to health issues, including throat problems, fever, and weakness. Shinde had visited a private hospital in Mumbai for treatment, after which he met Fadnavis at the latter’s official residence, 'Varsha,' in Mumbai. This marked their first in-person meeting since discussions between the BJP’s leadership and Shinde in Delhi last week.

The BJP's core committee meeting in Mumbai was attended by several senior party leaders, including Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, and Devendra Fadnavis. The meeting finalized the leadership structure for the new Maharashtra government. BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar confirmed that the alliance partners, including BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, would meet Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan later today to formally stake their claim to form the government, as required by constitutional procedure.

The BJP's performance in the Maharashtra elections marks its best-ever showing in the state. The party’s strategy to forge an alliance with Shiv Sena and NCP has consolidated its position in the state’s political environment, with Fadnavis preparing to begin his second term as Chief Minister after having previously served from 2014 to 2019.