Mumbai: Amid the suspense over the declaration of the Chief Minister face in Maharashtra, BJP state President Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday announced that the oath-taking ceremony of the Mahayuti government will be held on December 5. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at around 5 pm on December 5 at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. He added that the event will be conducted in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a social media post on X, Bawankule wrote, "Oath-taking ceremony of the Maha-Yuti Government in Maharashtra. It will be held in the presence of the pride of the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 5 PM at Azad Maidan, Mumbai." Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat stated that the caretaker Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde will make a significant decision by Sunday. When asked about the allotment of ministries to allies, Shirsat stated that everything would be clarified by Monday evening. "According to me, whenever Eknath Shinde thinks that he needs some time to think he goes to his native village. By tomorrow evening, he will take a big decision. It can be anything, a political decision.... Everything will be cleared by Monday evening... The oath-taking ceremony should be held before the 5th of December as we have preparations in this manner..." Shirsat told ANI. Eknath Shinde had travelled to his native village in Satara district on Friday. Earlier, on Thursday night, Maharashtra caretaker CM Eknath Shinde, along with Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Ajit Pawar and other Mahayuti leaders met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda in the national capital. The Maharashtra Assembly election results were declared on November 23, with BJP-led Mahayuti alliance storming back to power with a landslide majority. The ruling alliance, however, is yet to finalise its Chief Minister face. The BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats in the 280-member Maharashtra Assembly, while its allies--the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, and the NCP, led by Ajit Pawar--won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
