Preparations in full swing for swearing-in of new Maha govt

MUMBAI: Preparations are in full swing at the Azad Maidan here for the swearing-in ceremony of the new Mahayuti government in Maharashtra on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the event.

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is considered the frontrunner for the

chief minister’s post, but the Mahayuti alliance has not announced any name

yet with the state BJP legislature party’s meeting scheduled to take place on

Dec 4.

Maharashtra BJP president C Bawankule has been overseeing prepara-

tions for the ceremony.

          SHIV Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar has said the Maharashtra assembly

polls were recently fought under the leadership of Eknath Shinde and it is up

to the BJP’s central leadership to decide how to maintain his stature.

The contribution of Shinde, the caretaker chief minister of the state, should be duly recognised, Kesarkar has said.

The Mahayuti, comprising the Shiv Sena led by Shinde, BJP and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, won 230 out of 288 assembly seats in the November 20 polls.

The BJP led with 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena got 57 and NCP 41 seats. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, two-time former CM, is widely seen as the frontrunner for the top post.

The BJP’s allies Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party are each tipped to  be given deputy CM positions in the new government.

Shinde has already conveyed that he will accept any decision made by them.” The former state minister also dismissed reports of dissatisfaction or discord within the Mahayuti, describing them as misinformation spread by the opposition.