Devendra Fadnavis sworn-in as Maharashtra CM, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar take oath as Deputy CMs

Devendra Fadnavis greets Prime Minister Narendra Modi after taking oath as the 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra. (Screengrab)

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday took oath as the 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He was sworn in by state Governor CP Radhakrishnan. This marks the third term for Fadnavis as the chief minister of the state.

Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party's Ajit Pawar were sworn-in as the deputy chief ministers alongside Fadnavis at a star-studded ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of NDA-ruled states, top industrialists, Bollywood personalities who were among around 40,000 thousands attendees at the event held at Mumbai's iconic Azad Maidan.

Besides party workers and supporters of the Mahayuti alliance, the event was also graced by 1,000 women beneficiaries of the Mahayuti government's Ladki Bahin scheme which was seen as a game-changer in the Assembly elections in the state.

The event marks the beginning of the third term as CM for Fadnavis who began his career as a corporator and went on to take the post for the first time in 2014. The BJP was deprived of power despite emerging as the single largest party in 2019 when the Shiv Sena walked out of the NDA and formed a government with the support of arch rivals NCP and Congress.

Fadnavis' first stint was from October 2014-November 2019 while his second stint lasted only a few days from November 23 to 28, 2019.

With the BJP firmly in the driver's seat, Maharashtra comes as a huge boost for PM Modi and the BJP after the setback in the Lok Sabha elections. With Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde also on board, the NDA has also managed to send a message of unity and strength after almost a fortnight of back and forth over chief ministership and key portfolios.

Special arrangements were in place to accommodate 40,000 BJP supporters and a separate seating arrangement made for 2,000 VVIPs, including leaders from various religions.

More than 4,000 police personnel were deployed for security during the swearing-in ceremony, PTI quoted an official as saying. At least 3,500 police personnel and 520 officers have been deployed for security arrangements, the official said.

A platoon of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), and Quick Response Team (QRT), Riots Control Team, Delta, Combat teams and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad have also been deployed, he said.

Security arrangements were also made considering the traffic congestion on roads leading to Azad Maidan, and 280 personnel of the traffic wing, including senior police officials, ensured smooth vehicular movement.