Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde Set to Become Maharashtra's New Deputy CM

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis will be the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra, with his appointment officially confirmed. On Wednesday, Fadnavis was chosen as the leader of the BJP legislative party. Meanwhile, an agreement has been reached to make Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar the Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra. Following this decision, Fadnavis will meet with the Governor of Maharashtra, accompanied by his supporting legislators, to stake their claim for forming the government. The leaders of the Maha Yuti are scheduled to visit the Raj Bhavan at 3:30 PM. A swearing-in ceremony is set to take place at Azad Maidan in Maharashtra on December 5, where several senior BJP leaders are expected to be present. Devendra Fadnavis, who has previously served as Chief Minister, was elected from the Nagpur South West seat. Given the results of the assembly elections, it was expected that the next CM would be from the BJP. In the 2019 elections, Fadnavis briefly held the CM position before resigning a few days later. Under Fadnavis's leadership, the BJP performed exceptionally well in the Maharashtra assembly elections. The Maha Yuti not only returned to power but also secured 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi was reduced to under 50 seats. The BJP emerged as the largest party, winning 132 seats, with Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena securing 57 and Ajit Pawar’s NCP winning 41 seats. BJP also gained support from five independent legislators.