Devendra Fadnavis takes oath as Maharashtra CM for third time; Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar as Deputy CMs

Mumbai: Devendra Gangadhar Fadnavis took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday in the presence of a large number of top dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and NCP President Ajit Pawar took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers at a grand ceremony held in the Azad Maidan here under tight security.

There was a good turnout of both VIPs and the common people at the historic grounds as Governor C P Rafhakrishanan administered the oath of office and secrecy to BJP leader Fadnavis.

Union Ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia, Nirmala Sitharaman, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and many other prominent leaders were present on the makeshift platform erected for the ceremony.

A galaxy of personalities from the glamour world, including Bollywood icons Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and actress Madhuri Dixit graced the event.

Fadnavis sought his mother's blessings before leaving the house for the swearing-in ceremony.

The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 witnessed a decisive victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, securing a landslide win with 235 seats. The results marked a significant milestone for BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats.

The Shiv Sena-Shinde and NCP-AP also made notable gains, with 57 and 41 seats, respectively.