Amid Chants of Balasaheb, Shinde Takes Oath as Maha CM, Fadnavis as Deputy CM

Amid chants of 'Balasaheb Thackeray', rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde took oath as the new chief minister while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra at Raj Bhawan in Mumbai on Thursday evening, 30 June.

While Fadnavis had earlier decided to stay out of the Cabinet, he later took oath as the deputy CM. The sudden turn came moments after BJP chief JP Nadda requested Fadnavis to become the deputy CM of the state.

"The BJP has decided that we will support Eknath Shinde as the chief minister of the state. Shinde will alone take oath. After the ceremony, further decisions on the expansion of the cabinet will be taken," Fadnavis had said earlier in his first joint address with Shinde.

"The cabinet will comprise of Shiv Sena, allies, independents, and the BJP. I will not be a part of the cabinet, but I will take responsibility for the smooth functioning of the alliance and the government. I will provide full support and co-operation to the government," he had added.

Thursday's development comes less than 24 hours after Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray stepped down as the chief minister of the state.

After nearly 40 Sena MLAs, led by Shinde, broke away from Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) administration, the BJP is now the single largest party in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

What Shinde Said

After being declared as the CM of the state, the Shiv Sena rebel leader addressed the press and said that this is the first time ruling leaders had to switch to the Opposition instead of the other way.

"When 50 MLAs rebel against you, the party needs to introspect," Shinde added, saying that the development of the constituencies of his fellow MLAs and the state is his first priority.

Thanking Fadnavis, he resumed, "Fadnavis could have become CM going by the numbers but he showed a big heart and I thank him."