Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde was Thursday sworn in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra while BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis took oath as his deputy. Shinde and Fadnavis earlier met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhawan where they staked claim for government formation in Maharashtra.

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Addressing a press conference, Fadnavis had said the Shiv Sena, by joining hands with the Congress and the NCP in 2019 to overthrow BJP, had insulted the public mandate. He further claimed rampant corruption during the rule of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government while quoting two NCP leaders accused of corruption.

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Fadnavis had earlier said that he will not be a part of the Shinde-led ministry, but will offer every support from outside.

However, BJP president JP Nadda said that the central leadership has directed Devendra Fadnavis to be a part of the Eknath Shinde-led government as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.

Earlier today, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said rebel MLAs have chosen their own way and there would be no hindrance from the party in the path of the dissidents associating themselves with the BJP as he once again targeted the breakaway group whose revolt last week brought down the MVA government.

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He also tweeted an image of a man in a white kurta pyjama, who is presumably dressed like Uddhav Thackeray, with blood oozing from a wound on his back. “This is exactly what happened,” Raut said in a tweet, alluding to the dissidents who switched sides.