To Be or Not To Be Deputy CM: 2 Hours That Changed the Fate of Devendra Fadnavis

Hours after saying he'd stay out of Eknath Shinde's cabinet, Devendra Fadnavis took oath as deputy CM. What changed?

After days of political turmoil in the Shiv Sena that changed the fate of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state, rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday, 30 June, took oath as the chief minister and the deputy CM respectively.

However, as he announced Shinde as the CM in a joint press briefing at Raj Bhavan earlier in the evening, Fadnavis had declared that he will not be a part of the Cabinet, but will provide outside support and ensure smooth functioning of the government and the alliance.

Here's what unfolded in the two hours between the announcement and the oath-taking:

5:00 pm: