Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as BJP chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday alongside two deputy chief ministers, Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar of the NCP, but suspense continued over the portfolios to be allotted to the allies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, NDA chief ministers and a host of Union ministers attended the swearing-in at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, showcasing the importance Maharashtra holds for the BJP.

It has taken 12 days for the Mahayuti government to be sworn in after the alliance’s landslide victory on November 23, with the contentious issue of who will be chief minister finally settled but the intense bargaining for key portfolios continuing.

With the ministry allocations unresolved, only the chief minister and his two deputies took the oath of office and secrecy on Thursday.

“In an alliance government, portfolio distribution takes time,” a BJP leader said, claiming the matter would be sorted out soon.

Shinde, chief minister in the previous government who has been forced to accept a “demotion” to deputy, kept up the suspense over his participation in the government till the end, indicating he could prove a thorn in the BJP’s side.

Confirmation that he would take oath as deputy chief minister came just two hours before the swearing-in.

“Shindeji will take oath as deputy CM,” Sena leader Uday Samant told reporters around 3.30pm.

Hours earlier, Samant had himself hinted that Shinde might be unwilling to accept the post of deputy chief minister.

“If Shindeji doesn’t take oath as deputy chief minister, no Sena MLA will join the government,” Sena leader Samant had said.

Shinde’s intransigence owes to his demand for the key home portfolio, which the BJP leadership is unwilling to cede.

Ahead of the swearing-in, BJP leaders spoke to Shinde and urged him to take the oath, telling him that talks relating to portfolio distribution would take place after the formation of the government.

The huge mandate the BJP has won — bagging 132 of the Assembly’s 288 seats against the Sena-NCP’s combined tally of 98 — has left Shinde with very few options but he doesn’t seem ready to give up just yet.

After climbing onto the stage to take the oath, Shinde invoked Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, terming him “Hinduhruday”, and his mentor Anand Dighe. He followed it up with an expression of gratitude to Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra’s 13 crore voters.

Government members rarely deliver speeches at their swearing-in. Shinde’s act left many amused and seemed to reflect his uneasiness over the BJP’s rise in the state, which can threaten the existence of the regional parties.

Back-to-back victories in Haryana and Maharashtra —where it had suffered reverses in the general election — have helped the BJP shake off its summer blues and wrest back its dominant position nationally.

The return of Fadnavis, a Brahmin from Nagpur, to the top job in Maharashtra also marks a victory for the BJP’s parent outfit, the RSS.

Fadnavis is regarded as an RSS favourite, perhaps second only to Union minister Nitin Gadkari, and the organisation had used all its strength to ensure that he was installed as chief minister.

The RSS, which had taken a back seat during the general election, undertook a massive campaign ahead of the Assembly polls to turn the tide in favour of the BJP, led by Fadnavis in the state.

“We held over 60,000 small meetings to convince voters that Maharashtra would be ruined if the Opposition came to power. Our cadres from across the country were deployed in the state,” an RSS leader said.

The RSS, headquartered in the Maharashtra city of Nagpur, celebrates its centenary next year.