Devendra Fadnavis Back as CM After Maha Overnight Twist, Ajit Pawar Takes Oath as His Deputy

New Delhi: In an overnight coup, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) turned its tables on rivals with a faction of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) breaking away under Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar and forming government under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis in the wee hours of Saturday.

The development has brought a major twist in the Maharashtra saga as a day earlier it was senior Pawar who announced that the new Maharashtra government would be led by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

As Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar took oath as the Maharashtra chief minister and deputy chief minister respectively, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, however, said it was his nephew Ajit Pawar's own decision, and not that of the party, to support the Bharatiya Janata Party to form the government.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut accused Ajit Pawar of stabbing the Sena in the back by deciding to join hands with the BJP. He said Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray would address a joint press conference in Mumbai soon.

The month-long political impasse ended dramatically with Fadnavis returning as the chief minister after the President's rule, imposed in the state on November 12, was revoked early on Saturday.

The development raised eyebrows not only in the political circles, but also among the people of the state as the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress had been holding talks over forming the government in the state.

It was only on Friday evening that Sharad Pawar had said the new government would be led by Uddhav Thackeray, which signalled the end of speculation on who would occupy the chief minister's post.

The three parties had even prepared a draft common minimum programme (CMP) to guide the actions of the new government.

However, after the oath-taking ceremony was held early on Saturday, Sharad Pawar tweeted: "Ajit Pawar's decision to support the BJP to form the Maharashtra Government is his personal decision and not that of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). We place on record that we do not support or endorse this decision of his."

Talking to reporters, Raut said: "Ajit Pawar has stabbed the Shiv Sena in the back. Joining hands with the BJP to form the government is betrayal."

The BJP and the Sena, which fought the assembly polls in an alliance, had secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively in the 288-member House. However, the Sena broke its three-decade-long ties with the BJP after the latter declined to share the chief minister's post.

The Congress and the NCP, pre-poll allies, won 44 and 54 seats respectively.