Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar took charge of their new official responsibilities at the state secretariat 'Mantralaya' here after taking oath of office on Thursday evening.
Fadnavis, 54, is the 20th chief minister (not counting multiple terms) since the Maharashtra state was formed in 1960.
The three leaders of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance were sworn in at a grand ceremony at Azad Maidan, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief ministers of several states, Union ministers, industry leaders and film stars, among others.
On reaching Mantralaya, the three leaders were given a traditional welcome by the staff.
Fadnavis and his deputies then offered floral tributes to the portraits of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Jijabai, B R Ambedkar and Mahatma Phule.
Chief secretary Sujata Saunik was also present on this occasion.
Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar then chaired the first cabinet meeting of the new government and interacted with senior officials.
Signing his first file after taking charge of office, Fadnavis approved a proposal to provide financial assistance of Rs five lakh for a patient awaiting bone marrow transplant.
Pune-based Chandrakant Kurhade's wife had sought help from the Chief Minister's relief fund for her husband's treatment.
The chief minister put his signature on the file before he chaired the first cabinet meeting.
This is Fadnavis's third term as chief minister.
Shankarrao Chavan, Vilasrao Deshmukh and Ashok Chavan were chief minister twice, while Vasant dada Patil and Sharad Pawar occupied the post four times.
Addressing his first press conference after taking over as CM, Fadnavis said he will provide a stable government over the next five years and the state under his leadership will see politics of change and not revenge.
He said the mandate of people in the 2024 assembly elections reflected their expectations and love, and he is feeling the pressure of their hope.
He maintained Maharashtra will grow with same speed in social, infrastructure, industrial sectors.
The CM informed that election of a new assembly speaker will take place on December 9 during a three-day special session of the house beginning from December 7.
Fadnavis said the new cabinet will be expanded before the winter session of the state legislature which will he held in Nagpur later this month.
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Patience and perseverance main qualities that have powered Fadnavis' journey, says wife Amruta
Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Thursday cited patience and perseverance as the main qualities of the BJP leader for his political success.
Talking to reporters, she said there is happiness for Fadnavis becoming an MLA for the sixth time and taking oath as the CM for the third time but stressed there is a sense of responsibility for the mandate of the government.
"Patience and perseverance are the main qualities that have taken Devendra Fadnavis to where he is," she said.
Fadnavis, who served as the chief minister of Maharashtra from 2014-2019, had given a slogan 'Me Punha Yein' (I will come back again) in the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls.
However, despite getting 105 seats in 2019 and the BJP's alliance with the Shiv Sena falling apart, he could not come back as chief minister, though he had an 80-hour stint along with Ajit Pawar as his deputy at the time.
He could not become CM in 2022 after the Maha Vikas Aghadi government fell as Eknath Shinde took the top post.
Fadnavis was also mocked over the 'Me Punha Yein' slogan.
Finally, Fadnavis stood tall as the Mahayuti returned with a thumping majority in the recently held polls, with the BJP itself winning 132 seats and coming close to the halfway mark in the 288-member assembly.
"He wanted to come back to work for the welfare of Maharashtra," Fadnavis said.
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