Devendra Fadnavis to take oath as new Maharashtra CM on Thursday
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Mumbai: The suspense over the new Maharashtra Chief Minister came to an end on Wednesday as Devendra Fadnavis was unanimously elected as the legislature party leader by 132 BJP legislators and five supporting Independents. Fadnavis is set to take the oath for the third time as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister at a grand ceremony on Thursday.
Former Ministers Chandrakant Patil and Sudhir Mungantiwar proposed Fadnavis’ name, which was seconded by numerous legislators, including Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar. The announcement of Fadnavis’ election was made by party observer and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, accompanied by co-observer and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Following the announcement, legislators raised slogans celebrating Fadnavis’ leadership.
Chandrashekhar Bawankule, chief of the BJP strategy unit, expressed gratitude to the 14 crore people of Maharashtra for their strong support in the recently concluded Assembly elections. He described the day as historic, emphasizing that the Mahayuti government would accelerate the development of the state.
Rupani then led the election process, inviting legislators to propose and second nominations for the legislature party leader. Fadnavis’ name was proposed by Patil and Mungantiwar, seconded by prominent legislators including Pankaja Munde, Praveen Darekar, Ravindra Chavan, and Meghana Bordikar. When Rupani asked if anyone wished to recommend another candidate, there were no further nominations, and he declared Fadnavis unanimously elected. Fadnavis was congratulated by core committee leaders and senior party figures, including party Secretary Shiv Prakash and General Secretary Vinod Tawde.
Earlier, the state core committee had met and reached a unanimous decision to nominate Fadnavis as the legislature party leader.
In her address, Finance Minister Sitharaman noted the unprecedented and unexpected mandate in the state, emphasizing the commitment to advancing the Viksit Bharat mission. She expressed gratitude for the unanimous election of Fadnavis and highlighted that a unified government at the Centre and state levels would support Maharashtra’s growth. Sitharaman also criticized Congress and opposition governments for hindering progress, stating that the new mandate would ensure full support from the Centre to expedite development.
Fadnavis, in his speech, expressed his gratitude for the legislators' support and credited the election mandate as proof that unity and leadership under Prime Minister Narendra Modi could lead to progress. He saluted the people of Maharashtra for their unwavering support and extended thanks to caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and the leaders of allied parties.
With IANS inputs
