In Maharashtra, BJP leader and Chief Minister-Elect Devendra Fadnavis today met Governor C P Radhakrishnan to officially stake claim to form government in the state. He was accompanied by caretaker Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Mr Fadnavis said the Governor has accepted the recommendations of Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and other coalition partners of the Mahayuti and invited him to take oath tomorrow. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for 5.30 pm at Azad Maidan and will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with numerous other dignitaries and close to forty thousand public members.
Mr. Fadnavis said he along with Mr. Eknath Shinde and Mr. Ajit Pawar will work together and take Maharashtra towards new heights of development. He added that all the assurances and promises made in the poll manifesto will be fulfilled.  

Also addressing the press, Mr Shinde said he is fortunate to suggest the name of Mr Devendra Fadnavis as the new Chief Minister. Thanking voters for the unprecedented victory, Mr Shinde said the public has shown their appreciation for all the developmental-related works and the welfare schemes that were implemented in their previous tenure. He said the motto of the Mahayuti Government has been public welfare and not personal gains and the same will continue to ensure the state’s prosperity.

Meanwhile, NCP Chief Ajit Pawar refuted media reports that he had gone to Delhi to meet BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Mr. Pawar informed the press that he had gone to Delhi for personal work related to the inspection of the bungalow allotted to his wife and Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar besides meeting with lawyers with respect to various legal cases related to the allotment of party symbol. Reiterating that the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP will continue to work as a team, Mr Pawar said with the Central Government’s backing, Maharashtra will soon regain its distinct identity as an innovative and development-oriented state.