Mumbai: Devendra Fadnavis was unanimously elected as the leader of the Maharashtra BJP legislature party on Wednesday, setting the stage for his appointment as the state’s chief minister. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Thursday at Azad Maidan, Mumbai, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The decision was finalised during the BJP's core committee meeting held prior to the legislature party session at Vidhan Bhawan. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, appointed as central observers for the meeting, were also present.

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BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar announced that leaders of the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition would meet Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan at 3:30 PM on Wednesday to formally stake their claim to form the government. The Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP faction, commands a robust majority with 230 seats in the 288-member assembly.

The BJP, which secured a record-breaking 132 seats in the November 20 assembly elections, achieved its best-ever performance in Maharashtra.

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On Tuesday, Fadnavis met caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his official residence, 'Varsha,' marking their first face-to-face meeting since discussions in Delhi last week. The hour-long meeting is seen as either an outreach effort to placate allies or a preliminary discussion regarding the swearing-in ceremony.

Preparations for the event are in full swing, with nearly 2,000 VVIPs, including 19 chief ministers and deputy CMs, and around 40,000 supporters expected to attend. BJP leader Prasad Lad described the ceremony as a "historic moment" for Maharashtra, noting that it would be telecast live across the state on LED screens.

Meanwhile, discussions on portfolio distribution among the coalition partners remain underway. Shiv Sena leaders have indicated their party’s interest in the home ministry, citing alliance conventions. Additionally, reports suggest a consensus among allies to exclude ministers facing serious corruption allegations from the new cabinet.

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