Devendra Fadnavis Takes Oath As Maharashtra CM Again, NCP's Ajit Pawar Becomes Deputy CM

In one of the biggest political twists in recent years, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on Saturday morning, even as everyone was expecting a NCP-Shiv Sena-Congress official declaration on government formation. NCP’s Ajit Pawar took oath as Deputy Chief Minister in a quick ceremony in Mumbai. After the ceremony, Pawar explained the decision that has sent shockwaves in the Indian political arena. “From result day to this day no party was able to form Govt, Maharashtra was facing many problems including farmer issues, so we decided to form a stable government,” Pawar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Fadnavis said that, “People had given us a clear mandate, but Shiv Sena tried to ally with other parties after results, as a result President's rule was imposed. Maharashtra needed a stable govt not a 'khichdi' govt.”

#WATCH Mumbai: NCP's Ajit Pawar takes oath as Deputy CM, oath administered by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhawan. pic.twitter.com/TThGy9Guyr

— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first leader who congratulated the BJP-NCP alliance in Maharashtra. “Congratulations to Devendra Fadnavis ji and Ajit Pawar ji on taking oath as the CM and Deputy CM of Maharashtra respectively. I am confident they will work diligently for the bright future of Maharashtra,” PM Modi said on micro-blogging site. While many people are still trying to grasp the gravity of the situation due to the surprising early morning development, there is strong buzz about some tension within the NCP. It is being pointed out that while talking about the alliance, Fadnavis didn’t take name of Sharad Pawar, the chief of NCP.