BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is set to be sworn in as the new chief minister of Maharashtra at a grand ceremony which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai this evening. In the presence of around 42,000 attendees, Fadnavis will take oath along with his deputies, Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde and NCP's Ajit Pawar. Several Union ministers, and chief ministers and deputy CMs of various states are likely to attend the ceremony.
Fadnavis (54), an MLA from Nagpur, will head the head for the third time. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, where elaborate security arrangements have been made for the event. The formation of the Mahayuti government comes after two weeks of intense negotiations following the state assembly polls held on November 20. The results were declared on November 23.
Fadnavis had emerged as the frontrunner for the coveted post following the BJP's strong showing in the elections as it secured 132 seats in the 288-member House. The alliance, in total, won a 230 seats. Fadnavis was chosen as the head of the Maharashtra BJP's legislative party on Wednesday. The same day, he met with state Governor CP Radhakrishnan along with Shinde and Pawar to formally stake claim to form the government, presenting letters of support from the coalition partners.
Following this meeting, the governor extended an invitation for Fadnavis to lead the new government. At the legislature party meeting, Fadnavis thanked the BJP MLAs for reposing trust in him, adding that the thumping victory of the ruling Mahayuti alliance was due to "Ek hai toh safe hai" slogan given by PM Modi.
Special arrangements have been made to accommodate 40,000 BJP supporters and a separate seating arrangement made for 2,000 VVIPs, including leaders from various religions. More than 4,000 police personnel have been deployed for security during the swearing-in ceremony, an official said.