Maharashtra Govt Formation: New Government to be Sworn in on December 5; Devendra Fadnavis Frontrunner for CM, Says BJP Leader

A senior BJP leader announced on Saturday that the new government of the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra will be formed on December 5, with Devendra Fadnavis expected to emerge as the frontrunner for the next chief minister.

In the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), successfully retained power, securing a commanding 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and NCP with 41 seats.

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Despite the announcement of the poll results on November 23, no decision has been made regarding the next chief minister of Maharashtra. On Thursday night, Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar met with BJP president J.P. Nadda and Union minister Amit Shah to discuss and finalize a power-sharing agreement for the upcoming government.

A key Mahayuti meeting, originally scheduled for Friday, has been postponed to Sunday due to caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s visit to his native village in Satara. The new government’s swearing-in will take place on December 5, with Devendra Fadnavis, a senior BJP leader, being the frontrunner for chief minister. A meeting on December 2 will decide the BJP legislature party leader. The swearing-in ceremony is set to be held at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.