Maharashtra CM swearing-in: The buzz around Devendra Fadnavis’ name on invitation card – why is it grabbing eyeballs?

Maharashtra CM swearing-in: The stage is all set for Devendra Fadnavis to take oath as the next chief minister of Maharashtra on December 5, a day after he was elected leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) legislative party unit and staked claim to form the next government in the state.

Outgoing chief minister Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) head Ajit Pawar are also expected to take oath alongside Fadnavis at the mega event at Mumbai's Azad Maidan at 5.30 pm today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the top brass of the BJP, will attend the oath-taking. The swearing-in of the new government will see Union home minister Amit Shah among other ministers in Modi cabinet, chief ministers of various NDA-led state governments, former Maharashtra chief ministers, foreign diplomats, actors from the Hindi and Marathi film industries and beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin yojana scheme, in attendance.

As the preparations for the oath-taking was in full swing, the invitation card send to guests grabbed eyeballs as it surfaced on social media

The invitation, issued by chief secretary Sujata Saunik, refers to the would-be CM as ‘Devendra Sarita Gangadharrao Fadnavis’. While Fadnavis usually uses his ‘Gangadhar’ surname, it is for the first time he has used his mother Sarita's name.

The Gangadhar surname

In Maharashtra, it is customary to use their father's name as a middle name, but using mother's name for official purposes is rare. Fadnavis had used just ‘Gangadhar’ as his middle name in the invites for the oath-taking ceremonies in 2014 and 2019 – the earlier two instances when he became the chief minister. In his election affidavits too, Fadnavis has been using just ‘Gangadhar’ in his name.

Fadnavis was born in Nagpur on July 22, 1970, to the Brahmin family of Gangadhar Fadnavis and Sarita Fadnavis. His father, Gangadhar Fadnavis, was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council from Nagpur, and his mother, Sarita Fadnavis, was a former director of the Vidarbha Housing Credit Society.

The Mahayuti alliance scripted a historic victory in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections by winning 235 seats in the 288-member House, trouncing the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which won just 50 seats.

The BJP led the Mahayuti's victory by winning 132 seats—the highest among all allies. Shinde Sena won 57 seats, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP won 41 seats.

Led by Fadnavis, the victory in the 2024 assembly elections marks a remarkable comeback for the BJP from 105 seats in 2019, setting the stage for the former to become CM again.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, the BJP's core committee, the highest decision-making body, endorsed the candidature of Fadnavis for the top post. Later, Fadnavis was unanimously elected as the Leader of Maharashtra BJP Legislative Party, paving the way for him to helm Mahayuti 2.0.