The BJP-led Mahayuti government’s 39 ministers were sworn in on Sunday evening at the green, sprawling, and picturesque colonial Raj Bhavan (Governor’s Residence) lawns in Nagpur by Governor CP Radhakrishnan without announcing any of their portfolios.
Sources confirmed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will retain the home ministry, which had become a bone of contention between the BJP and Shiv Sena. The decision was reportedly made during a late-night meeting in Mumbai on Friday to resolve differences in the cabinet allocation formula.
The BJP has retained 19 ministerial posts, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena got 11 ministerial posts, including Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, while the Ajit-Pawar-led NCP got 9 portfolios, including Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. More clarity on the ministerial portfolios of those sworn in is expected during the winter session of the Maharashtra assembly, which begins on Monday, December 16, in Nagpur, the winter capital of Maharashtra.
The first MLA to take the oath of office and secrecy was BJP Maharashtra State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Other Mahayuti ministers who were administered oath are: Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil (BJP), Hasan Mushrif (Ajit Pawar-led NCP), Chandrakant Patil (BJP), Fadnavis confidant Girish Mahajan (BJP), Gulabrao Patil (Shinde-led Sena), Ganesh Naik (BJP), Dada Bhuse (Shinde-led Sena), Sanjay Rathod (Shinde-led Sena), Dhananjay Munde (Ajit NCP), Mangal Prabhat Lodha (BJP), who took his oath in Sanskrit, Uday Samant (Shinde Sena), Jayakumar Rawal (BJP), Pankaja Munde (BJP), the daughter of the late BJP leader, Atul Save (BJP), Ashok Uike (BJP), Shambhuraj Desai (Shinde Sena), Manikrao Kokate (Ajit NCP), Jayakumar Gore (BJP), Narhari Jhirwal Ajit NCP), Sanjay Savkare (BJP), Sanjay Shirsat (Shinde Sena), Pratap Sarnaik (Shinde Sena), Bharat Gogawale (Shiv Sena), Makarand Jadhav Patil (Ajit NCP), Nitesh Narayan Rane (BJP), Akash Pandurang Fundkar (BJP), Babasaheb Patil (Ajit NCP), Prakash Aabitkar (BJP), Madhuri Misal (BJP – Minister of State), Ashish Jaiswal (BJP – Minister of State), Pankaj Bhoyar (BJP – Minister of State), Meghna Bordikar (BJP – Minister of State), Indranil Naik (Ajit NCP – Minister of State) and Yogesh Kadam (Shinde Sena – Minister of State).
It is also learnt that “final touches” were given to the list of ministers to be sworn in, as late as Sunday morning which led to Dhananjay Munde of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP receiving a phone call inviting him to take the minister’s oath of office, merely hours before the event began.
Earlier, speaking at Deshpande Hall in Nagpur, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar specified that ministers from NCP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena, who were sworn in, would get to head their portfolios only for a period of two-and-a-half years. This is because there are too many ministerial aspirants and everybody’s aspirations would have to be satisfied.
It is learnt that ministers from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena were sworn in only after being made to give in writing and signing on their oath documents that they would resign from their ministerial positions after completing two-and-a-half years. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said that after two-and-a-half years, other aspirants would be sworn in as ministers in their place, in order to keep everybody satisfied.
The swearing-in ceremony which was originally scheduled at 4 pm was delayed and began only at 4:48 pm. A few hours before the event, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis landed in Nagpur where BJP leader Nitin Gadkari and BJP workers gave him a grand welcome.
Speaking to reporters at the Nagpur airport, Fadnavis said, “It is a joyous moment that after becoming the Chief Minister, I have come to my janmabhoomi (birthplace) and karmabhoomi (workplace). Nagpur is my family, and it is a welcome given to me by my family.”
Later, CM Fadnavis and his motorcade proceeded on a mega rally from the Nagpur airport to his residence in Dharampeth, where several gigantic saffron banners with his picture were put all across the rally route.
Incidentally, Fadnavis visited Nagpur, which is his political home turf where he began his political career, for the first time since he was sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister. To mark the occasion, Nagpurians organised a grand welcome, with huge posters adorning the city to celebrate what they called ‘Dev Diwali’. Dev Diwali is traditionally marked all over Maharashtra on the first full moon after Diwali.