Prayers & pauses: How the Top 3 spent their big day

Chief minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis started the day with a prayer, visiting two of Mumbai’s most high-profile temples

MUMBAI: ‘Maharashtra Ata Thambnar Nahi (Nothing can stop Maharashtra now)’ – it’s a powerful slogan that would grace the stage for the grand swearing-in ceremony on Thursday evening. So how did the three men who will lead this unstoppable march spend this pivotal day?

Chief minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis started the day with a prayer, visiting two of Mumbai’s most high-profile temples. First, Siddhivinayak temple at Prabhadevi, a shrine that draws devotees from far and wide. Next, Mumbadevi temple, whose deity is believed to be the presiding goddess of this city. Later, at his official residence, Sagar, Fadnavis performed ‘pooja of Gomata’ (cows), underlining his commitment to Hindutva, the main agenda of the ruling BJP and its ideological mentor, the RSS.

After the swearing-in, Fadnavis and his deputies went to the state secretariat, Mantralaya, to assume office. Here, Fadnavis held his first meeting of the state Cabinet, after which he convened the customary press conference in Mantralya.

While Fadnavis was only hours from being crowned the undisputed leader in Maharashtra, drama continued to unfold with his reluctant deputy, Eknath Shinde. It would be the last day Shinde would spend in Varsha, his official residence as chief minister.

The outgoing chief minister, still playing hardball for a deal that would be befitting of his position in the Mahayuti alliance after swapping places with Fadnavis, spent the first half of his day meeting a steady stream of party MLAs and leaders. Nothing they said could convince Shinde to join the government, a decision he was apparently still toying with till afternoon.

Around 1 pm, party leader Uday Samant said Shinde had not yet decided whether or not to take oath. With the clock ticking, he agreed only after he received a visit from senior BJP leader Girish Mahajan. Samant then made the official announcement that Shinde would be sworn in as deputy chief minister. After that, Shinde wasn’t spotted until the swearing-in at Azad Maidan.

After the Cabinet meeting, the Shiv Sena chief addressed the media, separate from the press conference addressed by Fadnavis. He then paid his respects to Shiv Sena founder, Bal Thackeray at a statue of the Sena leader in Colaba. Shinde proceeded to Thane, where he paid tribute to his mentor, the late Anand Dighe, at Tembhi Naka.

At Devgiri, the official residence of NCP chief Ajit Pawar, the other deputy chief minister-designate, Pawar was bust meeting senior party leaders and MLAs, who were keen to know what Shinde had decided and how that would impact government formation. “Most of the senior leaders and MLAs wanted to know if the issue had been resolved and if their names would be added to the list of ministers who would be taking oath today,” said an NCP leader privy to the development.

Elevating the mood, a group of dancers from the Dhangar (shephard) community performed their traditional ‘Gaji-Dhol’ dance at Devgiri, for Ajit Pawar.