The Maharashtra BJP Legislature Party, during its core meeting on Wednesday, elected former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as its leader, paving the way for his swearing-in as the Chief Minister for a third time.
Soon after Fadnavis was elected, in the presence of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who were deputed by the BJP Parliamentary Board as observers, an official invitation for the swearing-in ceremony surfaced online.
According to the viral invitation, the swearing-in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis will take place at Azad Maidan in Mumbai's Fort area at around 5:30 PM.
The Deputy Chief Ministers and Cabinet ministers will also take their oaths alongside Fadnavis, as per the official invitation. Outgoing chief minister Eknath Shinde and NCP leader Ajit Pawar will be sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers during the ceremony, as per reports.
Fadnavis, who served as deputy chief minister in the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government, is expected to meet Governor CP Radhakrishnan at 3:30 pm on Wednesday to stake his claim to form the new government in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union Ministers, and 19 chief ministers and deputy chief ministers are reportedly expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
Special arrangements have been made to accommodate 40,000 BJP supporters, along with a separate seating arrangement for 2,000 VVIPs, according to reports.
