Devendra Fadnavis to be sworn in Maharashtra CM on Dec 5; decision taken in BJP core committee meeting

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis is all set to be sworn in as Maharashtra's next chief minister.  This will be Fadnavis' third term as Maharashtra CM. 

Fadnavis will take oath, along with two deputy chief ministers – Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar – at Azad Maidan in Mumbai December 5. Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar are expected to meet Governor of Maharashtra and stake claim for government formation at 3.30 pm today.

Fadnavis' name was finalised at the BJP core committee meeting held in Mumbai today.  He was also unanimously elected as the Leader of Maharashtra BJP Legislative party. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani – the BJP's central observers for the legislature party meeting – attended the meeting in Mumbai today.

The announcement ends days of speculation on who will be the next chief minister of Maharashtra. The ministers in the Fadnavis' cabinet are not likely to take oath on December 5.

The Assembly Elections in Maharashtra were held on November 20 and the results were announced on November 23. The Mahayuti won 230 seats. Apart from BJP's 132 seats, Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 57 seats, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP won 41 seats.

Since then, there has been speculation about who will be the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra — Eknath Shinde or Devendra Fadnavis. What fueled the rumours of a possible stalemate was Shinde’s sudden ‘ill health’ and subsequent decision to head to his native village soon after meeting with top BJP leadership in Delhi last week.

Shinde reportedly agreed to serve as Deputy Chief Minister in the next Mahayuti government. Fadnavis visited Shinde at his official residence, Varsha, in south Mumbai on Tuesday evening.