Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in on Saturday morning as the chief minister of Maharashtra, a stunning development that came as the nation expected an alliance excluding the BJP to claim the right to form a government.
What's more, the man taking oath as deputy chief minister was Ajit Pawar, a member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), one of the three parties working to create the alternative alliance.
Minutes after Fadnavis and Pawar were sworn in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated them and said he was "confident they will work diligently for the bright future of Maharashtra".
President's Rule, which was imposed in Maharashtra on November 12, has been revoked.
Who Is Ajit Pawar?
Ajit Pawar is the nephew of NCP president Sharad Pawar, who only yesterday said all three members of a new prospective governing alliance -- between the NCP, the Shiv Sena and the Congress -- wanted Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in the chief minister's job.
Also Read: NCP Chief Sharad Pawar meets PM Modi in Parliament
Ajit Pawar said he reached his decision to join hands with the BJP on his own.
As per sources, Sharad Pawar was a part of discussions for a Fadnavis-led government, and that he gave his assent to Ajit. The sources said no decision is taken by the NCP without Sharad Pawar's assent.
But Sharad Pawar himself later said his nephew's decision did not have the NCP's blessing. Other NCP leaders, too, expressed complete surprise.
