MUMBAI (TIP): In what could be termed one of the biggest political surprises in the history of Maharashtra politics, the BJP on Thursday, June 30 announced that it will support rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde as the new Chief Minister, who took oath in a simple ceremony in the Raj Bhavan on Thursday evening, officiated by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who all believed was set to become Chief Minister for the third time, joined him as Deputy Chief Minister. The trust vote of the new government will be held on Saturday.

At a press conference prior to the swearing-in ceremony, Mr. Fadnavis  announced that the BJP would support Mr. Shinde as Chief Minister and claimed that he would not be the part of the Cabinet. Hours after his announcement, sensing discontent within the State unit of the party, BJP national president J.P. Nadda said the party had taken a decision to support Mr. Shinde, and Mr. Fadnavis too would join the government. Union Home Minister Amit Shah too tweeted  that Mr. Fadnavis would join the government.  Mr. Fadnavis replied to him saying he would follow the orders as an honest party worker. “I will obey the order of a party which gave me the topmost post,” he tweeted.

Initially, only two chairs were kept at the Darbar Hall where the swearing-in ceremony took place. Following tweets from the BJP’s central leadership, three chairs were placed. Mr. Shinde took the oath invoking Sena founder the late Bal Thackeray and his mentor the late Anand Dighe. This was followed by sloganeering from his supporters. Mr. Fadnavis too was greeted by loud sloganeering as he asked people to remain calm to continue with the oath taking. Following the ceremony, slogans of ‘Jai Shree Ram, Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and praising King Shivaji were shouted by supporters of both the leaders.

Mr. Shinde, who revolted against former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on June 20, was joined by around 39 Sena MLAs and 11 independents. The rebel MLAs had demanded that Mr. Thackeray quit the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and snap ties with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to return to the path of Hindutva.  Earlier in the day, Mr. Shinde returned to Mumbai from Goa where all rebel MLAs have been kept. He visited ‘Sagar’, the official residence of Mr. Fadnavis. Later, both, along with BJP leaders, visited the Governor to stake claim to form the government. Mr. Thackeray had resigned as the Chief Minister on Wednesday, June 29 night. There was no word about when the expansion of ministry will take place.