Bollywood icons Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan were among the star-studded attendees at the oath-taking ceremony for Maharashtra’s new government on Thursday.
Held at Mumbai’s iconic Azad Maidan, the event marked the swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister and Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as Deputy Chief Ministers.
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Shah Rukh Khan, dressed sharply in formal attire, shared the limelight with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as they sat together during the ceremony.
Salman Khan, sporting a formal suit and signature sunglasses, greeted Shah Rukh with a warm hug, delighting fans of their legendary camaraderie from ‘Karan Arjun’.
The ceremony brought together an impressive mix of Bollywood stars, sports legends, and political heavyweights. Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, and Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani added glamour to the event, alongside Kumar Mangalam Birla and Anjali Tendulkar.
On the political front, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Chief Ministers from several states, including Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Adityanath and Gujarat’s Bhupendra Patel, attended the ceremony. Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered the oaths.
The ceremony followed the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance’s decisive victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Securing a massive 235 seats, the alliance emerged as a dominant force, with the BJP winning 132 seats, Shiv Sena 57, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 41.
In stark contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a significant setback. The Congress secured only 16 seats, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) managed 20 and 10 seats, respectively.
The new government formation ended days of speculation over leadership roles, as Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar officially staked their claim with the Governor a day prior. Fadnavis, who previously served as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister from 2014 to 2019 and as Deputy Chief Minister in the recent coalition, returned to the top post.
