BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde will be the new chief minister of Maharashtra.
The dramatic announcement came after Fadnavis and Shinde met Governor BS Koshyari at Raj Bhavan.
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It was considered a foregone conclusion that Fadnavis will become the CM for the third time, in alliance with the Shinde-led Sena rebels.
The BJP leader said that this move was seen coming. “I will stay out of the government and ensure it runs smoothly,” Fadnavis said.
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Here are five quotes from the BJP leader’s address:
a. Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde will be new chief minister of Maharashtra
b. After the swearing-in ceremony today, we will have a cabinet expansion and Shiv Sena and BJP leaders will take the oath. I will stay out of the government.
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c. We (BJP) are not working for the post of Chief Minister, this is a fight of ideologies.
d. The MVA government was insulting Hindutva everyday. On the last day, they renamed Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar. But once you receive the Governor’s letter, you should not hold any cabinet meetings.
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e. Shiv Sena opposed Dawood (Ibrahim) and on the other hand, they kept such a man in the cabinet who went to jail on allegations of helping Dawood. They were in alliance with someone who insulted Savarkar.