Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 5: Reversing their mutual roles, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis was on Thursday sworn-in as the chief minister of Maharashtra while ending 10 days of suspense the Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde took oath as his deputy along with the Nationalist Congress Party’s Ajit Pawar who too returned as the second deputy chief minister.
The swearing-in held at the Azad Maidan in the presence of the prime minister Narendra Modi capped nearly two weeks of suspense and a tug-of-war between the BJP and the Shiv Sena over the top post. In the last government, Mr Shinde was the chief minister while Mr Fadnavis served as his deputy along with Mr Pawar.
Besides Mr Modi, several Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of various states besides thousands of supporters of the BJP-led Mahayuti, took place at the Azad Maidan ground nearly two weeks after the results of the Assembly elections were declared on November 23. Industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Kumarmangalam Birla and Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Sanjay Dutt and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar were also among the attendees.
“Other members of the cabinet will likely take oath before the Winter Session of the Assembly starts,” BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar had said earlier in the day.
With Thursday’s swearing-in, the 54-year old Mr Fadnavis became the third time chief minister in addition to being and turned his five year back comment that “I will return” almost prophetic. Mr Fadnavis, five years ago, was removed as Chief Minister despite the BJP and the then-undivided Shiv Sena cantering to victory in the 2019 election. But the two then split and Uddhav Thackeray allied the Sena with the Congress and the (also then undivided) NCP, leaving Mr Fadnavis in the cold. “Seeing the water recede, don’t build a house on the shore. I am sea, I will come back,” he had said then.
And on Thursday evening, at Mumbai’s iconic Azad Maidan, Mr Fadnavis kept his word, a promise met in large part by twin political masterstrokes by the BJP – destabilising and dividing the Sena and NCP, and picking up the pieces. Those pieces laid the foundation for the Mahayuti’s big win. And much of the credit for re-aligning Maharashtra’s political space was given to Mr Fadnavis. “It took two-and-half years… but I returned after breaking two parties,” he had said in March, in what is now a statement of some foresight.
The Mahayuti swept 235 of 288 seats in this election and the BJP finished as the single-largest party with 132 – to ensure it had pole position in the internal race to name a Chief Minister. Mr Shinde’s Sena claimed 57 and, on the basis of claims his government’s policies paved the way for the BJP retaining power, hoped he would retain the top post. He was made Chief Minister in 2022 after the MLAs he brought with him from Uddhav Thackeray’s side ensured the BJP returned to ruling side.
However, the BJP’s strong show, and the NCP’s quick pledging of support, meant Mr Shinde had little, if any, leverage, particularly since Ajit Pawar’s backing meant it did not need the Shinde Sena. Nevertheless, for 10 days after the election, the Sena continued to lay claim to the Chief Minister’s chair, insisting Mr Shinde’s government’s policies and performance paved the way for the Mahayuti.
But then there followed many twists and turns, including Mr Shinde retreating to his hometown in Satara district for 48 hours to, many believed, signify his discontent at the situation. Days later it seemed Mr Shinde relented; he said he had spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that he would back down.
But then, this afternoon, sources suggested otherwise, that Mr Shinde had reconsidered his decision and party leaders were frantically trying to persuade their boss to be part of the new government. That back-and-forth was finally put to bed after Mr Shinde rose to follow Mr Fadnavis – who, many pointed out, was seated next to Ajit Pawar and not the Sena leader – in taking an oath of office.
The dithering by Mr Shinde was being seen by many as an attempt to secure key cabinet berths in the incoming government. Part of the negotiations that saw Mr Fadnavis confirmed as the new Chief Minister saw the BJP keep around 20 cabinet berths and give a dozen to the Shinde Sena. But Sena’s claim for the home ministry is also learnt to have been rejected by the BJP.
