Chief Minister and two Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra will be sworn in at 5.30 p.m. in the grand swearing-in ceremony at Azad Maidan in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Devendra Fadnavis, who was unanimously elected as the BJP legislature party leader, will take oath of office and secrecy as Maharashtra Chief Minister for the third time while Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar will be Deputy Chief Ministers.
Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan will administer the oath. Fadnavis will expand his cabinet next week as the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP have yet to reach a consensus on sharing the number of cabinet berths among themselves and also the allocation of ministries.
The expansion is likely to take place on December 11 or 12 after the three-day session of the state Assembly slated for December 7 to 9 in Mumbai. Shinde, who was initially reluctant to join the cabinet, finally agreed after Fadnavis met him on Tuesday and Wednesday urging him to be part of the Mahayuti government, especially after the landslide victory.
Shinde gave in after scores of Shiv Sena leaders and former ministers begged him to form part of the system than to stay outside focused solely on strengthening party organization.
In the case of Ajit Pawar, he had already extended his party's support to Fadnavis as the chief minister. Moreover, on Wednesday, after Fadnavis staked a claim with the Governor for the government formation, Ajit Pawar announced he would take oath on Thursday notwithstanding Shinde's dilly-dallying.
Ajit Pawar will make history by becoming the Dy CM for the sixth time.
Azad Maidan has been decked up for the swearing-in function that will be attended by PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and a couple of Union Ministers, BJP President J.P. Nadda, 19 chief ministers of states ruled by BJP and allies apart from Mahayuti leaders and workers from across Maharashtra.
More than 10,000 Ladki Bahins and 2,000 farmers will also be present in the function. Over 40,000 people are likely to witness today's oath taking ceremony.
The chairpersons and secretaries of such cooperative societies, which have contributed significantly to the victory of BJP and Mahayuti, are about 5,000.
There will be a special arrangement for around 2,000 VVIPs and VIPs. The swearing-in ceremony will be telecast live and it can be seen on LED screens at bus stops, theatres and key locations from across Maharashtra.
Invitations have gone to veteran politicians such as Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and leading industrialists like Mukesh Ambani. Almost 100 saints, influencers, professionals such as doctors and chartered accountants, and Bollywood stars and Marathi film actors will also be invited to the swearing-in ceremony.
Close to 10,000 BJP workers will wear T-shirts that would say "Ek Hai To Safe Hai". A day before the oath taking ceremony, singers would render Marathi and Hindi items in the venue.
Security has been beefed up in and around Azad Maidan that is located near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in South Mumbai. More than 5,000 police personnel are deployed in addition to teams of state reserve police force, anti-riots force, and rapid action force.
Five more police commissioners, 15 deputy commissioners, and 29 assistant commissioners have been deputed to oversee the security arrangements and ensure the incident-free swearing-in ceremony. The police will also be using drones to maintain close vigil.
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