Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday, with Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as his deputies. The senior BJP leader later revealed that he got good wishes from all quarters — including political rivals Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.
“They responded well. They congratulated me,” he told News18 after a telephonic exchange with the Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders.
Most prominent opposition leaders were conspicuous by their absence at the glittering event, and Fadnavis reiterated allegations that Thackeray had “backstabbed” the BJP following the 2019 elections.
The assertions came even as Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that Shinde was compelled to take oath as Deputy CM because the BJP top brass planned to go ahead with the swearing-in if he continued being “stubborn”. Fadnavis, however, dismissed the assertion — telling News18 that he ‘never’ reacted to statements made by the MP.
“I do react If Uddhav Thackeray ji says something. Sanjay Raut has experience in ending a political party. We have a full majority, so I don’t think Uddhav Thackeray is needed. He has put a green chadar on him; I am sure his workers feel suffocated,” Fadnavis added.
He also reiterated earlier comments about ‘vote jihad’ and lambasted Pawar and Thackeray for “bowing down” in front of 17 demands made by the Ulema Board.
The Mahayuti alliance had secured a landslide victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 132 seats while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena garnered 57 seats. Meanwhile the Ajit Pawar-led NCP secured 41 seats in the state Assembly. The polls came as a severe blow for the Opposition alliance with the Congress managing to win only 16 seats, while its ally Shiv Sena (UBT) won 20 seats. The NCP (SP) secured a mere 10 seats.
(With inputs from agencies)
