Maharashtra CM Oath Ceremony Live: BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis all set to take oath as Maharashtra's chief minister for a third term. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other dignitaries will be present at the swearing-in ceremony at 5:30 pm in Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Thursday, December 5. The state government had confirmed through an official invitation card released the appointment of Fadnavis in his new role as an outgoing result of Mahayuti alliance's landslide win of the Maharashtra Assembly election.

Fadnavis, together with outgoing chief minister Eknath Shinde and erstwhile Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, will sit today with Governor C P Radhakrishnan with a formal claim of proving the majority to form a new government. The BJP legislators sitting at the Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan also unanimously elected Fadnavis as party incharge during a meeting where Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani will be acting as center observer. Chandrakant Patil and Sudhir Mungantiwar formally proposed Fadnavis's name for the position.

Fadnavis thanked the party and the people of Maharashtra for their support in his acceptance speech, terming the elections "historic" and pointing out that the voters have placed their trust in the Mahayuti alliance. He also repeated the slogans that Prime Minister Modi had in his campaign speeches, "Ek hai toh safe hai" and "Modi hai toh mumkin hai." He thanked Shinde, Pawar, and other alliance leaders for their support.

Preparations for the swearing-in ceremony are in full swing. Leaders of Mahayuti, including Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar, visited Azad Maidan on Wednesday to oversee the arrangements. The event will mark the formal beginning of the new government, which commands a strong majority in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. Senior leaders from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), several chief ministers, and other dignitaries are expected to attend the ceremony.

#WATCH | Maharashtra CM-designate Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, NCP chief Ajit Pawar arrive at Azad Maidan in Mumbai for the swearing-in ceremony

(Video source: ANI/ DG-IPR) pic.twitter.com/w9j3bEpl41

— ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2024