Modi graces 'swearing in' function as Devendra Fadnavis is back as BJP CM in Maharashtra :::: tussle between Shiv Sena and BJP dates back to Balasaheb Thackeray days

Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Chief Minister today. The ceremony was attended by PM Narendra Modi, top NDA leaders, noted industrialists, and the who's who of Bollywood film fraternity. 

The oath-taking ceremony at Azad Maidan was attended by nearly 40,000 people.

Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar along with his wife Anjali were among the attendees at the Maharashtra government oath ceremony.

The outgoing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena is also in the new cabinet as Deputy CM and so is Ajit Pawar, the famous nephew who has outsmarted his uncle and one-time Maratha strongman and a permanent PM-ambitious Sharad Pawar.  

The grand event at Azad Maidan in Mumbai was a star-studded affair with  Bollywood stars including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Ranbir Kapoor gracing the event. 

Industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Anant Ambani, and Kumar Mangalam Birla were also in attendance. 

Prior to making his way to the Azad Maidan, Devendra Fadnavis shared a photo of his mother applying 'tilak' on his forehead. 

He wrote:  “The beginning of a new season with the blessings of mother...”

Chief Ministers Yogi Adityanath, Bhajanlal Sharma, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar were in attendance at the Mumbai event. 

Backgrounder :

When Fadnavis emerged as the top choice for the chief minister’s post in 2014 after the party’s win in the polls, attempts were made by Union minister Nitin Gadkari’s camp to hijack the selection process. 

Fadnavis’s selection was also seen as a bit of a fluke as senior leader Gopinath Munde, another serious contender for the chief ministerial post besides Gadkari, died in an accident four months before the state polls. 

Another anecdote and 'more' than that !! 

Move over Devendra Fadnavis-Uddhav Thackeray battle, a closer look back at the politics of Maharashtra shows that for certain, the tussle between Shiv Sena and BJP dates back to Balasaheb Thackeray days.

Incidentally that one-upmanship coincided with the rise of Narendra Modi.

Shiv Sena was the dominant saffron partner in Maharashtra's politics - which had often shown ideological tilt towards the Left and was almost overshadowed for long by the Congress.

Even the 'Congress-splinter' NCP led by Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar seemed to have better acceptability. 

But all changed around 2002-03 when Marathi Manoos developed a liking for a 'hero' from a state next door - the neighbouring Gujarat.

Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde left dozens of red faces on stage as he went off script during the official swearing-in ceremony for the Chief Minister and two Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra on Thursday. 

As the Governor began the process, Shinde launched into a speech lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader Amit Shah and the people of Maharashtra.

One isn't allowed to veer off the official script during a swearing-in ceremony, and there are several examples when leaders have had to take oath a second time due to a single slip.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve accused the Congress of not valuing its MVA allies and blamed it for being "overconfident" for the alliance's stunning defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly polls.