Eknath Shinde to take oath as Maharashtra Dy CM along with Ajit Pawar tomorrow: Report

Maharashtra caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is set to take the oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday (Dec. 5), along with Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Devendra Fadnavis, who will be sworn in as the Chief Minister, reported Indian news agency ANI. 

Shiv Sena leader Shinde will take the oath along with Ajit Pawar as Deputy Chief Ministers, ANI reported, citing Shiv Sena sources. 

Earlier, it was decided that Devendra Fadnavis would be the sole leader taking the oath tomorrow as Chief Minister. 

Fadnavis will take oath on December 5 at Azad Maidan in Mumbai in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders.

Also read: Devendra Fadnavis to be Maharashtra chief minister, will take oath on Dec 5

The final decision to confirm Fadnavis's name as the chief minister of India's richest state was taken in the BJP core committee meeting earlier in the day. 

Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar met Governor CP Radhakrishnan to stake their claim to form the Mahayuti government. 

The Wednesday decision ended weeks-long deadlock over the CM's name, with incumbent CM Eknath Shinde also said to be staking claim to the top post. 

In Maharashtra, BJP's Mahayuti alliance won a landslide majority, winning 230 out of 288 seats in the Assembly last month. BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde, and NCP's Ajit Pawar are key leaders of the Mahayuti alliance.

Watch | India: Devendra Fadnavis To Be Sworn In As Maharashtra CM On Dec 5

Fadnavis was termed by BJP leaders as the architect of this massive victory, with leaders from the BJP recommending his name for the CM's post. 

Eknath Shinde on Wednesday expressed satisfaction with the two-and-a-half years of the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra and said, "I am very happy with the completion of two-and-a-half years. The work done by our government--the Mahayuti government--by the three of us and our team in the last 2.5 years is remarkable. It will be written in golden letters in history. We are proud to have taken such significant decisions."

(With inputs from agencies)