Mumbai: Shiv Sena has made it clear that it will not attend the swearing-in of BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as the Maharashtra Chief Minister on Friday. Party Chief Uddav Thackeray has asked his leaders not to attend the ceremony.
In the first BJP government in Maharashtra, 44-year-old Fadnavis, a four-term MLA from Nagpur, will be administered the oath of office by Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at Wankhede Stadium in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, corporate leaders and Bollywood stars.
Sena expressed pleasure over Fadnavis leading the state and said that it was a matter of pride that Maharashtra is once again being led by Vidarbha and that it is responsibility of Fadnavis to fulfil people’s aspirations.
The two saffron parties were in talks over the government formation amidst reports that no minister from the former ally Shiv Sena will be sworn in on Friday. “It seems unlikely that any Shiv Sena minister will be sworn in on Friday. Talks with Sena are on in an amicable atmosphere for a possible tie-up in Maharashtra but there has been no outcome yet,” BJP General Secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy had said.
BJP had emerged as the single largest party in the 288-member state Assembly with 122 seats but one of its MLAs Govind Rathod died. Though technically it will be a minority government until Sena joins it, declared support from 41-member NCP will act as a hedge for the BJP dispensation. It also has the support of several Independent MLAs and those from some smaller parties.