Devendra Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, responded to criticism regarding the absence of women from the extended Cabinet on Tuesday by stating that female legislators would undoubtedly be appointed to the ministry in the upcoming round of expansion.

These government orders (called government resolutions in official parlance), largely related to allocation of funds for various development-related works, were issued at a time when the ruling coalition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was reduced to a minority following a revolt in the Shiv Sena and the three-party dispensation’s legitimacy was under doubt, he said.

The bullet train project is aimed at running the train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai on a high speed rail corridor at a speed of 320 kmph, covering a distance of 508 km and 12 stations.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident and directed the MSRTC to take immediate action to pay Rs 10 lakh to the relatives of each of the deceased passengers.

The meeting, which is currently underway, is taking place at 'Shivtirtha', Thackeray's residence at Dadar in central Mumbai.

Shinde and Fadnavis, who assumed office on June 30, are also expected to make courtesy calls on President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.

The two leaders will likely meet Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command before a final decision on the ministers and portfolios is taken.

He also expressed his determination towards the development of the state's Vidarbha region.

Devendra Fadnavis made the statement in the state Assembly after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde won the floor test in the House during the last day of the two-day special session of the Assembly.

Assuring that no more trees will be cut for the project, the senior BJP leader also said that although the environmentalists have the right to express their opinion, they should not ingnore the facts.

Shinde took oath as the chief minister on Thursday with BJP's Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy following the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government on Wednesday.

The Sena, in an editorial in its mouthpiece ’Saamana’, said that Fadnavis’s act of becoming deputy chief minister instead of chief minister is now being defended as an instance of his ”big heart” and ”adherence to the party’s directives”

People thought that the BJP was desperate for power. But truly, this is a masterstroke by Devendra ji. To hand over power to another person despite having larger numbers (of MLAs) requires a big heart.

Considered close to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Fadnavis has made amends in how he does politics and vowed to come back to power despite the embarrassment he faced after NCP’s Ajit Pawar ditched him in 2019 despite taking oath as his deputy.

A former chief minister accepting a junior post in a subsequent government is rare, but Maharashtra has witnessed such situation in the past.

The swearing-in comes a day after Uddhav Thackeray quit as chief minister of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government after losing most of the lawmakers due to the Shiv Sena rebellion spearheaded by Shinde.

This comes a day after Uddhav Thackeray quit as chief minister after losing most of the lawmakers due to the Shiv Sena rebellion spearheaded by Shinde.

The process for the change of regime in the state, which began with the rebellion of around 40 of 55 Shiv Sena MLAs under Eknath Shinde's leadership, got a boost after BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis met Koshyari on Tuesday night and asked him to order a floor test of the Thackeray government, claiming it had lost majority.

Following Uddhav’s resignation, celebrations erupted in the BJP camp with party leaders distributing sweets and raising slogans at the legislative meeting in Taj Hotel, hailing Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, who was also Uddhav’s predecessor.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray resigned earlier in the evening, a day before a scheduled floor test in the state Assembly.