Two days after being sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis took the oath as an MLA on Saturday, alongside Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. The opposition MVA, however, boycotted the ceremony, citing concerns over the alleged misuse of electronic voting machines (EVMs). On the first day of the three-day special session, opposition members refused to take their oath in the newly-constituted legislative assembly, questioning the legitimacy of the Mahayuti alliance’s mandate and the reliability of the EVMs. The trio was sworn in by pro-tem speaker Kalidas Kolambkar shortly after the session commenced at 11 am.
The swearing-in ceremony began at 11 am, with pro-tem assembly speaker Kalidas Kolambkar presiding. Before Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar took their oaths, Chainsukh Sancheti, Jaykumar Rawal (both BJP), Manikrao Kokate (NCP), and Ashish Jaiswal (Shiv Sena) were sworn in, having been appointed to the pro-tem speaker’s panel by Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, representing the Nagpur South-West constituency, took the oath for the sixth time, highlighting his enduring presence in Maharashtra’s political scene since his first election in 1999. As his name was called, members of the treasury benches responded with loud applause and slogans such as ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji’.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was met with a similar warm reception, including desk-thumping and slogans, while Ajit Pawar, dressed in a traditional red ‘pheta’ with a golden border, was greeted with chants of ‘Ekach Dada, Ajit Dada’. Pawar, representing Baramati, has been an MLA since 1991.
The opposition MVA – comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP) – boycotted the swearing-in ceremony on the first day of the three-day special session. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray voiced the coalition’s stance, raising concerns about the credibility of the election results. “When a government comes to power with such a large majority, celebrations follow, but it raises the question whether the mandate was truly given by the people or manipulated through EVMs and the Election Commission of India,” Thackeray said.
Thackeray also emphasised on unrest in Markadwadi village, Malshiras constituency, where villagers demanded a mock poll using ballot papers but were met with curfews and arrests. He stated that the boycott was a response to the growing skepticism among the public regarding the election process.
