Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Thursday evening took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as his deputy.
The oath-taking ceremony came a day after former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray resigned from his post in the wake of a major rebellion by the Shiv Sena legislators that led to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
Earlier today, Fadnavis announced that Shinde will be the Chief Minister and that he will stay out of the government and ensure that it runs smoothly. "I will remain out of the government, but I shall do everything possible to make the new government a success on all fronts, and resume the developmental activities that had stopped in the past two-and-a-half years," he said.
However, the BJP's central leadership made a "personal request" to Fadnavis to be the deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Showing a "big heart", Fadnavis agreed to join the Maharashtra government and become the deputy CM, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
PM Modi also congratulated Fadnavis. "Congratulations to Shri @Dev_Fadnavis Ji on taking oath as Maharashtra Deputy CM. He is an inspiration for every BJP Karyakarta. His experience and expertise will be an asset for the Government. I am certain he will further strengthen Maharashtra’s growth trajectory," he tweeted.
