Eknath Shinde will be the new chief minister of Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis

Eknath Shinde, who led a rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray's Maha Vikas Aghadi government, will take oath as the new Maharashtra chief minister, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday. The rebel Shiv Sena MLA will be sworn in at 7:30 pm tonight.

The news comes only days after Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis met with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to push their claim to form the new state government.

“I wouldn't be part of the government. The Shinde-led government will resolve many issues which have been stalled for the last two and a half years effectively. Reservation to Marathas, OBCs, and the completion of the infrastructure projects will be the priorities of the new government”, Fadnavis made the announcement at a press conference.

“Shiv Sena went with the people whom Balasaheb Thackeray opposed all his life. The Thackeray government was corruption-ridden and it led to two ministers going to jail under corruption charges,” he said.

The BJP claims to have the support of 170 MLAs, including those from Shinde's rebel group. The Mumbai police had made extensive security arrangements ahead of Shinde's visit.