Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Highlight
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the CM, Deputy CM of Maharashtra in two tweets!
- Soon after taking oath as CM, Eknath Shinde changed his Twitter photo, which features Bal Thackeray
- Uddhav Thackeray congratulated both Eknath and Devendra, wished to do good work for Maharashtra
Maharashtra Political Crisis: With rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde taking oath as Maharashtra’s chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Devendra Fadnavis signed on as the state’s deputy chief minister, the 10-day Maharashtra political potboiler came to an end.
The developments in the late evening, where Eknath Shinde was announced as the next chief minister, not only stunned the political pundits, but also engulfed the Uddhav faction. This is because the former CM had earlier said that he is ready to step down if the Shinde faction can ensure that “Shiv Sainiks” will be the next chief minister. After Uddhav Thackeray resigned from the post of Chief Minister late on Wednesday, the process of swearing in the next Chief Minister became easy.
Let us introduce you to some of the major events of the day
Shinde will take over as CM: Fadnavis
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday stunned political pundits and Shiv Sena to announce rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde as the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Shinde and Fadnavis took oath as CM and Deputy CM at 7.30 pm.
While Fadnavis had initially said that he would not be part of the government, a request from top BJP leaders made him change his stand. Fadnavis was earlier the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari along with Shinde at Raj Bhavan, Fadnavis said that some rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, BJP MLAs and independents would be included in the cabinet expansion later. The BJP’s decision not to take the top post comes in response to Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s question whether the rebel MLAs will ensure that a Shiv Sena worker will be the next chief minister.
Thackeray had said that if the Shinde faction could ensure that a ‘Shiv Sainik’ would be the next chief minister, he was ready to quit, Thackeray said, battling a rebellion by most of the party’s legislators, which lasted more than a week. Time started earlier.
PM Modi congratulates Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis
Soon after Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis were sworn in as Maharashtra CMs and Deputy CMs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated both the leaders on assuming office.
In a tweet to Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, PM Modi said: “I would like to congratulate Shri @mieknathshinde ji on being sworn in as the CM of Maharashtra. A grassroots leader, he is rich political, legislative and administrative with him. brings experience.I am sure he will work towards taking Maharashtra to greater heights.
PM Modi also wrote a tweet for party leader Devendra Fadnavis. He wrote: “Congratulations to Shri @Dev_Fadnavis ji on being sworn in as the Deputy CM of Maharashtra. He is an inspiration to every BJP worker. His experience and expertise will be an asset to the government. I am sure he will help in the development of Maharashtra. Will strengthen the path.
Fadnavis showed big heart: Eknath Shinde
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that Devendra Fadnavis has a big heart and he should thank him. The leader said that by numbers, Fadnavis should have been the CM. During a press conference, Shinde said that the leader does not even give up the post of a panchayat chief. “I will not betray the confidence that Fadnavis has reposed in me,” Shinde told the media.
Fadnavis, former chief minister and currently the leader of opposition in the assembly, said the BJP would support Shinde’s group. BJP is the largest party in the assembly. Earlier, Fadnavis had said that he would be out of the government but would ensure smooth functioning of the government. Later, however, he was inducted as the Deputy Chief Minister after top party officials requested him to take over.
Eknath Shinde changed his twitter profile picture
Soon after taking oath as the Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde changed his Twitter profile picture, in which he is seen with the late Bal Thackeray, the founder of Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena leader rebelled against the Uddhav-led MVA government on the pretext of Hindutva, accusing Thackeray of deviating from the path shown by his Hindutva ideology, Bal Thackeray.
In a symbolic gesture, Eknath Shinde changed his Twitter profile picture as soon as he became the Chief Minister, which showed him alongside Bal Thackeray.
New profile picture used by Eknath Shinde.
‘The decline begins in this…’: tweeted Raj Thackeray
A day after Uddhav Thackeray resigned as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said in a tweet, “This begins the journey towards collapse.”
The MNS leader wrote on Twitter on Thursday, “When someone misunderstands his good fortune as his personal achievement, his journey to downfall begins.”
Uddhav Thackeray had announced his resignation as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra soon after the Supreme Court refused to stay the floor test to be held in the Assembly tomorrow. Uddhav Thackeray announced his resignation in a Facebook Live address. Uddhav Thackeray said, ‘I am resigning from the post of Chief Minister. He also announced his resignation from the post of MLC.
Devendra Fadnavis agrees to become Deputy CM of Maharashtra after Nadda’s request
After a surprise announcement that rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde would be the next chief minister of Maharashtra, not Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, BJP president JP Nadda said the central leadership has decided that Devendra Fadnavis should be part of the government. Minutes after his appeal, the party president said in a tweet that Fadnavis would be part of the state cabinet. The question of whether Fadnavis will be the deputy CM is still a mystery.
Nadda was speaking an hour after Fadnavis made the CM’s announcement after meeting Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari along with Shinde at the Raj Bhavan.
‘Sanjay Raut more loyal to NCP’: Eknath Shinde’s aide
Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar, who is also the spokesperson of the Eknath Shinde camp, on Thursday hit out at party colleague Sanjay Raut over a tweet that showed how his party leaders stabbed Uddhav Thackeray in the back. . Notably, Shiv Sena rebels have blamed Raut for his terror statements to widen the gap between him and the party leadership.
Kesarkar, currently in Panaji, told reporters that it was never his intention to remove party supremo Uddhav Thackeray from the chief minister’s chair, adding that he would talk to him if he walked out of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Soon after the assembly election results were announced in November 2019, the Shiv Sena severed its two-decade-old ties with the BJP and merged with the NCP and Congress. The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance had secured a comfortable majority in 288-. Member of the House but Shiv Sena pulled out of the alliance and formed the government with the support of NCP and Congress to keep the BJP away.
(with inputs from agencies)
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