Journalism of Courage
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as Maharashtra’s chief minister for the third time on Thursday. (Express photo by Deepak Joshi)
The ceremony was held at Azad Maidan in Mumbai and marked a new chapter for the Mahayuti alliance following their sweeping victory in the Assembly elections. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)
Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were sworn in as deputy chief ministers. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and several other dignitaries. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)
Leaders from the BJP and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were also present. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)
Despite the Mahayuti alliance securing 230 seats out of 288 in the Assembly elections, only three leaders were sworn in on Thursday. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)
As per constitutional provisions, the Maharashtra Cabinet can have up to 43 members, including the chief minister. The absence of other ministers suggests an agreement on the final composition of the cabinet is still pending. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)
Fadnavis, who was elected as the BJP’s legislative party leader, has a history of successful leadership in Maharashtra. His first tenure began in 2014 after he led the BJP to its then-highest victory of 122 seats in the state. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)
In 2019, Fadnavis briefly returned as chief minister alongside Ajit Pawar as deputy CM, but that government lasted just 72 hours. This time, he returns with a stable majority and a coalition backing him. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)
Eknath Shinde, who served as chief minister from 2022 to 2024, took on the deputy chief minister role at the last moment. Reports suggest Shinde initially resisted the move but accepted the position following discussions with senior leaders. (Express photo by Deepak Joshi)
