Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde said Sunday that now the state will be run by a “triple engine government” - an upgrade from the earlier ‘double engine government’ - a reference used by the Bharatiya Janata Party to emphasise its rule at the Centre as well as state assemblies. Nationalist Congress Party's senior leader Ajit Pawar joined the Maharashtra government as CM Eknath Shinde's deputy on Sunday. After Pawar, senior NCP leaders Dilip Walse Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal were among other eight leaders to take oath as ministers in the Shinde cabinet.
The development came as Pawar met some party leaders and MLAs at his official residence in Mumbai earlier. Later, he reached Raj Bhawan, where the swearing ceremony took place in the presence of CM Shinde, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and governor Ramesh Bais, as well as supporters of Shinde faction and the BJP.Earlier, Pawar announced that he wanted to step down as Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra and would like any party post. “I was never interested in working as Leader of Opposition but accepted the role on demand of the party MLAs. Assign me any post in the party organisation and I will do complete justice to whatever responsibility given to me,” he had said at a party event on Wednesday.