End of Speculations, Devendra Fadnavis Sworn in as Maharashtra CM for Third Term along with Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as Deputies

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the third time, in a ceremony at Azad Maidan ground in Mumbai attended by key national leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and several BJP Chief Ministers including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This marks the culmination of 12 days of political speculation and suspense since the November 23 results, even after the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance won 230 of the 288 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Fadnavis's third term comes after the BJP secured a decisive victory of 132 seats out of the total 141 contested, far ahead of Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena with 57 seats and AJIT Pawar’s NCP with 41 seats. Eknath Shinde, the former Chief Minister from the Mahayuti, took the oath as Deputy CM, alongside NCP’s Ajit Pawar, signaling a key consolidation of power among BJP’s allies.

While Fadnavis had previously led the state in 2014-2019, his third term is significant mainly for the shifting political alliances and the return of key figures like Shinde and Pawar into the fold. Speculation had run high on who would take the reins following the election results, but the oath ceremony came after days of hectic parleys and negotiations over the seat sharing formula. The portfolio distribution is expected soon, BJP reportedly might take 22 portfolios while sharing 10-12 with Shinde’s Shiv Sena and around 7-10 with Ajit Pawar’s NCP.​