 "Supporters celebrate with sweets after Devendra Fadnavis was unanimously elected as BJP legislative party leader, paving the way for him to be sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister, in Thane, Mumbai, Wednesday, December 4, 2024. PTI")
After weeks of intense political discussions, the suspense over Maharashtra’s next Chief Minister is finally over.
Today (November 5), Devendra Fadnavis will take the oath as the state’s new chief minister in a grand ceremony at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar will also be sworn in as his deputies at the event.
Here’s all we know about the ceremony.
The oath-taking
Devendra Fadnavis is the chosen one to lead the Mahayuti government, and the stage is set for his swearing in on Thursday .
On Wednesday, Fadnavis was unanimously chosen as Leader of the Maharashtra BJP Legislative Party, marking his comeback to power.
Over 132 elected MLAs cast their vote to elect Fadnavis in the party meeting yesterday, which was also attended by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, along with Fadnavis.
Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar also called on Governor CP Radhakrishnan to stake claim to form the Mahayuti government .
In a press conference, the two-time Maharashtra chief minister referred to the position as a “technical post” and emphasised the Mahayuti alliance’s cooperative decision-making process, which includes Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar.
Significantly, former Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde agreed to take over as his deputy .
The government’s swearing-in is a notable rerun of the 2019 ceremony at Raj Bhavan, where Fadnavis was sworn in as CM and Ajit Pawar as his deputy.
Fadnavis will visit Siddhivinayak Temple ahead of the ceremony, according to News18.
Guest lists
About 42,000 attendees are expected to attend the event.
The ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other senior leaders.
Union Ministers Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal, Nitin Gadkari, chief ministers and deputy CMs of NDA-ruled states, including Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Adityanath and Andhra Pradesh’s N Chandrababu Naidu, Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, other major political leaders of the state, former Maharashtra CMs, renowned personalities from Marathi and Hindi film industries, leading industrialists, including Mukesh Ambani, more than 100 spiritual leaders and famous personalities from academics and literature will also be attending the oath-taking ceremony.
Other attendees include the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena workers.
At least 1,000 women (ladki bahin beneficiaries) will also attend the swearing-in ceremony.
Special arrangements
For the oath-taking ceremony, Azad Maidan has been transformed into a fortified zone under the guidance of Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar, Special Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, and Joint Commissioner (Law and Order) Satyanarayan Chaudhary.
Over 4,000 police personnel, including specialised units like the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), Quick Response Teams (QRT), and bomb disposal squads, have been deployed to ensure the safety of the attendees.
The police have asked attendees to report any suspicious things, follow instructions, and call their helplines (100, 112) for immediate assistance.
According to BJP leader Prasad Lad, special arrangements have been made for the attendees, including separate seats for 2,000 VVIPs.
“It will be telecast live across the State wherever LED screens are available. Special arrangements have been made to accommodate over 40,000 BJP supporters and a separate seating arrangement made for 2,000 VVIPs, including leaders from various religions,” he said.
According to a News18 report, the National Award-winning music-composing pair Ajay-Atul will be performing at the main celebration.
Traffic arrangements
Mumbai Police has increased safety measures due to the large-scale nature of the oath-taking occasion. To control traffic flow, a number of routes will be closed or rerouted.
About 280 personnel from the traffic wing will be managing traffic in South Mumbai.
The traffic advice issued by the Mumbai Police will be in force from 12 pm on December 5 until the conclusion of the event.
Since there will not be parking close to the venue, attendees are encouraged to take public transport, especially local trains, to get to Azad Maidan.
The following routes are recommended for use by the Mumbai Traffic Police:
CSTM to Vasudev Balwant Phadke Chowk: Vehicular traffic will be diverted via LT Road-Chakala Junction-Right Turn-DN Road-CSTM Junction. Reverse route to be followed for return travel.
Mahatma Gandhi Road (CST to Vasudev Balwant Phadke Chowk): Traffic will be diverted via LT Road-Chakala Junction-Right Turn-DN Road-CSTM. Alternative way to reach here is via the Maharishi Karve Road (MK Road).
Hazari Mal Somani Road: Traffic movement will be restricted from Chafekar Bandhu Chowk (OCS Junction) to CSTM Junction. The optional route is from Chafekar Bandhu Chowk (OCS Junction)-Hutatma Chowk-Kala Ghoda-K Dabhade Marg-Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg.
Princess Street Bridge (Meghdutt Bridge) (Southbound): Traffic to be diverted via NS Road towards Shyamaldas Gandhi Junction.
Rambhau Salgaonkar Road (One-Way Route): A dual lane will be permitted for vehicles from Indu Clinic Junction (Syed Jamadar Chowk to Volga Chowk) between 12 pm and 8 pm.
Maharashtra election results
In the Maharashtra elections held on November 20, the BJP secured 132 out of 288 seats, demonstrating their stunning success.
It has been the saffron party’s best performance in the state so far.
The Mahayuti alliance holds an overwhelming majority of 230 seats along with its partners, the Shiv Sena under Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
With Congress gaining only 16 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) gaining 20, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP group gaining just 10, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, on the other hand, suffered a crushing defeat.
With inputs from agencies