Preparations underway at Azad Maidan for swearing-in of new Maharashtra govt

PTI New Delhi: Preparations are in full swing at the Azad Maidan here for the swearing-in ceremony of the new Mahayuti government in Maharashtra on December 5, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to attend the event. JP leader Devendra Fadnavis is being considered the frontrunner for the chief minister’s post, but the Mahayuti alliance has not announced any name yet with the state BJP legislature party’s meeting scheduled to take place on December 4.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule has been overseeing preparations for the ceremony and visited the venue in south Mumbai on Monday. While Bawankule had earlier said that Modi will attend the event, invitations have also been extended to Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states. Additionally, central ministers, governors and key central BJP office- bearers are also expected to be present, BJP sources said.

A meeting to finalise the preparations was held at the state BJP office on Tuesday, attended by Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar, the party’s leader in the Maharashtra legislative council Pravin Darekar, Prasad Lad and others. The BJP has also invited religious leaders, artists and writers from across the state. “The swearing-in ceremony will honour Maharashtra’s cultural diversity,” a senior leader said.