Mumbai:Devendra Fadnavis was on Friday sworn in as Chief Minister of the first BJP government in Maharashtra at a grand ceremony where Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray made a last-minute appearance, raising the possibility of a rapprochement between the saffron parties.
44-year-old Fadnavis, a third time MLA and the second Brahmin to occupy the top post in the state, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at the Wankhede Stadium in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, several Union ministers and veterans L K Advani and MM Joshi among others.
Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states including Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan), Anandiben Patel (Gujarat), Manohar Parrikar (Goa), Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh) and Manohar Lal Khattar (Haryana) and those governed by allies including Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) and Parkash Singh Badal (Punjab) also attended the event. Top industrialists along with other eminent personalities, including from Bollywood, and Fadnavis’ banker wife Amruta, were present at the packed venue when seven Cabinet Ministers and two Ministers of State also took oath. Former ally Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, whose party had decided to boycott the event citing “constant humiliation” by BJP ahead of government formation, attended the event along with his wife after a last-minute call by BJP President Amit Shah. Thackeray’s presence indicated a possible rapprochement between the two estranged Hindutva parties which fell apart just ahead of the Assembly polls following failure of seat sharing talks.
All eyes were on Modi and Uddhav, who shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. With 121 BJP MLAs in a House of 288, Fadnavis is heading a minority government that has been asked to prove majority in two weeks. Sharad Pawar’s NCP with 41 MLAs has already declared unconditional outside support to the new government.
Fadnavis has become the 27th Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the 18th person to hold the post.
He is the fourth politician from Vidarbha region to become CM. He helmed the BJP in the state when it posted emphatic victories in Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls.
Uddhav Thackeray, who sat beside Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu, remained silent and broody through the proceedings, but was seen smiling, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with Modi after the ceremony got over.(PTI)
