Mahayuti 2.0: What second term in Maharashtra means for Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar

Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Maharashtra CM while Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar took oath as his deputies. (File Photo: PTI)

The Mahayuti troika of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party is back in the driver’s seat this time – bigger and stronger albeit with a new look.

While the three leaders at helm remain the same, the power structure has undergone a significant shift with Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde exchanging roles as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively. Ajit Pawar, on the other hand, is back as the Deputy CM, a position he held in the first term of the Mahayuti government.

The three leaders were sworn in by Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan at a star-studded ceremony held at Azad Maidan in Mumbai Thursday evening. In attendance were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, leaders of the Union Council of Ministers, chief ministers of NDA-ruled states, and top faces from the world of business and entertainment.

The swearing-in came after the Mahayuti returned to power with a thumping majority in the recent Assembly elections in the state, winning an unprecedented 230 of the 288 seats in the state with the BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP all registering their best performances.

However, the sentiment prevailing when the election results were declared soon fizzled out as disagreements over the CM’s post and the power-sharing formula took precedence in the 12 days that followed until the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.

Just like there were multiple factors that went into the Mahayuti’s historic victory, the power-sharing formula means different things for each of the constituents of the alliance partners.

After having served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for 2.5 years, accepting the role of Deputy CM under Fadnavis is like having to swallow a bitter pill for Shinde. He did not go down without a fight though – there was no clarity whether he would be part of the government until two hours before the swearing-in ceremony.

However, having undertaken a climbdown, the challenge for Shinde now would be to ensure that the Shiv Sena gets its fair share of important portfolios in the Cabinet that Fadnavis will helm. Local body elections are expected to be held in the state soon – a big test for Shinde to prove his Sena’s might against the rival faction led by Uddhav Thackeray.

By making the sacrifice in 2022 and agreeing to serve under Eknath Shinde as the Deputy CM despite the BJP being the senior partner in the alliance, Devendra Fadnavis had proven that he was a loyal soldier of the BJP. The reward of chief ministership that he has now received was always his due and the BJP’s record tally of 132 seats only bolstered his claim to the top post.

Firmly at the helm now, Fadnavis will now have to navigate between two rather unpredictable allies who could choose to veer off their own ways. Equally important would be to deliver upon the promises the Mahayuti has made ahead of polls while keeping the pace of the state’s development trajectory intact. He may have guided BJP to its best-ever tally, but the buck for any lapses would also stop only at him.

Ajit Pawar today became the first leader in the state to be appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister for six terms, a post he has held under four different chief ministers. Having convincingly turned the tide against his mentor and uncle Sharad Pawar – particularly after the Lok Sabha setback – Ajit Pawar has a spring in his step ever since the Maharashtra verdict was declared.

It is widely speculated that Ajit will retain the Finance Ministry, another post he will serve on for the sixth time. However, the challenge before him would be to maintain the momentum for his party as it heads into the local body polls. Having faced the blame for the BJP’s poor tally in the Lok Sabha polls, Pawar sent a strong signal as he promptly announced his support to Fadnavis as Chief Minister. He will now have to navigate the NCP in an alliance where he would be yearning to gain a greater say.