Second Fadnavis ministry

Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra for the second time on 23 November 2019.[1][2] Alongside Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the deputy chief minister.[3][4][5] Before a Supreme Court-ordered no confidence motion could take place, Pawar resigned on 26 November.[6] Fadnavis resigned shortly thereafter,[7] making his second ministry the shortest Maharashtra ministry, surpassing P. K. Sawant's 1963 interim government, that had lasted for nine days.

Second Fadnavis ministry
18th Cabinet of Maharashtra
2019
Devendra Fadnavis
Date formed23 November 2019
Date dissolved26 November 2019
People and organisations
Head of stateGov. Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Head of governmentDevendra Fadnavis
Deputy head of governmentAjit Pawar
No. of ministers2
Member partiesBharatiya Janata Party
Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction)[lower-alpha 1]
Opposition partyShiv Sena
Nationalist Congress Party[lower-alpha 2]
Indian National Congress
Other smaller parties
History
Election(s)2019
PredecessorFirst Devendra Fadnavis ministry
SuccessorUddhav Thackeray ministry

Government formation

In 2019 Maharashtra elections, the ruling National Democratic Alliance, consisting of Fadnavis' Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena, and other smaller parties, won a majority of seats.[8] Fadnavis was seeking a second-term as chief minister, however, Shiv Sena insisted that the two parties share the tenure in accordance with a "50:50 formula".[9] This meant that the parties would hold the chief ministerial office on a rotational basis.[8] Following failure to reach an agreement and to form a government, Fadnavis resigned.[10] As the Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari found out, after consultation with major political parties, that none of them was in a position to form a government, President's rule was imposed in the state.[11]

After Fadnavis' resignation, it was expected that Shiv Sena would form a coalition government with Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.[3] However, in early hours of 23 November 2019, President's rule was revoked and Fadnavis took oath as chief minister, alongside Pawar, who was sworn in as deputy chief minister.[1][3][12]

Political crisis and resignation

Nationalist Congress Party chief and Ajit Pawar's uncle, Sharad Pawar, announced after the swearing-in, that Ajit Pawar's decision to join Fadnavis' ministry was not endorsed by his party.[13] It was initially unclear if any other Nationalist Congress legislators were supportive of Ajit Pawar's decision.[14] Eleven legislators were present at the early morning swearing in, however, three of them had clarified in a press conference on the same day that they had been misled.[13][14]

Two days later, on 25 November, 162 legislators (Maharashtra Assembly has a total strength of 288), met in Mumbai, evincing that Fadnavis' government did not enjoy majority support.[15] Simultaneously, a plea had been filed before the Supreme Court regarding the political crisis in the state. On 26 November 2016, the Supreme Court ruled that the Fadnavis government must prove its majority in the Assembly on the next day.[6] Pawar resigned as deputy chief minister shortly thereafter, followed by Fadnavis.

Two days later, on 28 November, Uddhav Thackeray was appointed the chief minister, leading a coalition government.

Council of ministers
PortfolioMinisterTook officeLeft officeParty
Chief Minister
Other departments not allotted to any Minister		23 November 201928 November 2019 BJP
Deputy Chief Minister23 November 201928 November 2019 NCP

Notes
  1. It was unclear how many legislators from Pawar's party supported the government. See "Political crisis and resignation" section for more.
  2. It was unclear how many legislators from Pawar's party opposed the government. See "Political crisis and resignation" section for more.

References
  1. "The Maharashtra coup: What happened in 24 hours". The Economic Times. 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  2. "The maha khel in Maharashtra: A timeline". India Today. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  3. "Surprise, surprise: Devendra Fadnavis sworn in as Maharashtra CM, Ajit Pawar Dy CM". India Today. 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  4. "This is surgical strike on Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray". The Times of India. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  5. "President's rule revoked in Maharashtra at 5.47 am". The Economic Times. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  6. "Ajit Pawar resigns as deputy CM; Udhhav to be CM for 5 years, says Sena". Business Standard. 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  7. "Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar resign hours after SC orders floor test". India Today. 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  8. Prabhash K Dutta (24 October 2019). "Maharashtra election results: BJP returns to power, Shiv Sena brings it to bargaining table". India Today. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  9. Sharad Vyas and Alok Deshpande (24 October 2019). "MBJP-Shiv Sena alliance wins in Maharashtra; Uddhav Thackeray insists on 50:50 formula". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  10. "Devendra Fadnavis resigns, blames Shiv Sena for Maharashtra crisis". The Hindu. 8 November 2019. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  11. Vijaita Singh (12 November 2019). "Maharashtra placed under President's Rule". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  12. "Maharashtra needs stable, not a 'khichdi' government: Devendra Fadnavis". The Times of India. 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  13. Faisal Malik and Swapnil Rawal (23 November 2019). "Sharad Pawar parades NCP MLAs who were with nephew Ajit during oath taking". The Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  14. "How many NCP MLAs are with Ajit Pawar?". The Hindustan Times. 24 November 2019. Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  15. "We have 162 MLAs; this is not Goa: Sharad Pawar at show of strength". The Times of India. 25 November 2019. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
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