Eknath Shinde Takes Oath As Maharashtra CM, Fadnavis As His Deputy

Shiv Sena chief left with only 13 MLAs after the revolt

Ahead of the Uddhav Thackeray's resignation, the rebel of the Thackeray's Govt. Eknath Shinde took his oath as the maharashtra Chief minister and Devendra Fadnavis his deputy on Thursday, as the BJP capped the coup that unseated Uddhav Thackeray a day ago with back-to-back curveballs.

"I will stay out of the government and ensure it runs smoothly," Mr Fadnavis said at a news briefing around 4:30 pm, announcing that only Mr Shinde will be sworn in later in the evening.

Though after 3 hours,  he was seen taking oath as Mr Shinde's deputy after BJP chief JP Nadda said, "He must be Deputy Chief Minister... I will personally request him."

Moreover, the Shiv Sena rebel, Mr Shinde also thanked PM Modi, his deputy CM as well as the other BJP members who made this happen. "It's their magnanimity. They had a bigger mandate, yet they made me the Chief Minister. Who does that?" he said.

Ahead of the Uddhav Thackeray quitting as Maharashtra Chief Minister yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that he must prove his majority.

According to the officials, the Shiv Sena chief left with only 13 MLAs after the revolt that played out in three BJP-ruled states. Eknath Shinde and a group of rebels first moved to Gujarat's Surat in luxury buses. They were flown to Assam's Guwahati in chartered flights. They landed in Goa last evening to prepare for a possible test of strength.

Taking notes from a Sena rebel spokesperson, Deepak Kesarkar, he stressed that it was ideology, and not greed for better posts, that drove them to switch sides and go with the BJP.

Moreover, the Sena rebel added, that the rebels did not betray Uddhav Thackeray and still have love and respect for him. "Nobody in Shiv Sena is against the Thackeray family," he said.