Devendra Fadnavis will take oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday, marking the culmination of the BJP’s effort to reclaim the top post of the country’s wealthiest state that it had to relinquish five years ago because of political compulsions.

Fadnavis was invited to form the government after he staked claim before governor C.P. Radhakrishnan on Wednesday, hours after getting elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party. He was accompanied by two Mahayuti allies — Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, who head their factions of the Shiv Sena and the NCP.

The swearing-in of the new government will take place at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.

Shinde and Pawar are set to take oath along with Fadnavis and get designated as deputy chief ministers, BJP leaders said. While Ajit quickly agreed to join the new government, Shinde continued to dither in what appeared to be last-minute bargaining for important cabinet berths.

“Shinde will also take oath tomorrow,” a source in the Shiv Sena said, hours after the outgoing chief minister appeared hesitant at a Mahayuti media address. There was, however, no official confirmation.

“Wait till the evening…,” Shinde had told reporters, pointing out that a final decision on his participation in the government would be taken at a meeting of his party. Sena leaders said newly elected MLAs had urged Shinde to join the government at the meeting.

Shinde has been bargaining for the home portfolio as a price for accepting his “demotion” as Fadnavis’s deputy. Fadnavis, who was deputy chief minister in the previous government, held the home portfolio.

The BJP, powered by its tally of 132 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, firmly declined his demand. It remains to be seen on what conditions Shinde, who has very little manoeuvring space, agrees to join the government.

“Shinde’s role in the new government will be decided at a cabinet meeting,” a Sena source claimed, indicating that their leader would be duly compensated.

Fadnavis had called on Shinde on Tuesday evening to get him on board after the Sena leader had “taken ill” twice.

“Yesterday, I requested Eknath Shinde to remain in the cabinet.... I have full faith he will be with us,” Fadnavis said at the Mahayuti media address. “The posts of chief minister and deputy chief minister are just a technical agreement between us.... We have been together while taking decisions and will continue to do so,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders will be present at the swearing-in ceremony to witness the party’s return to the helm in the key western state where it had suffered a grave setback in the general election earlier this year.

The BJP has had to spend the last five years playing second fiddle despite being the largest party in the Assembly. In the 2019 Assembly polls, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance had secured a comfortable majority of 161 seats (with the BJP getting 105 seats and the Sena 56) and Fadnavis had looked set for a second stint as chief minister.However, the BJP’s dream was shattered as Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray snapped ties with the party, demanding the chief minister’s post.

In an early morning operation, Fadnavis forged an alliance with Ajit and other NCP rebels and took oath as chief minister. The government collapsed within days as the Sharad Pawar-led NCP compelled Ajit to pull out. Maharashtra thereafter saw a Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar).

Fadnavis and the BJP struck back in June 2022 when Shinde’s rebellion split the Shiv Sena and pulled down the MVA government.

In a stoop-to-conquer move, the BJP handed over the chief minister’s post to Shinde and Fadnavis was compelled by his party’s high command to accept the deputy chief minister’s post. Over a year later, Ajit split the NCP and joined the Mahayuti government, which reduced the BJP’s dependence on Shinde.

The landslide verdict for the Mahayuti in the November elections put the BJP in the driver’s seat again with the party staging its best performance by winning 132 seats, leaving allies Shinde and Ajit virtually at its mercy.

“The historic elections in Maharashtra have proved that ‘ek hain toh safe hain’ and ‘Modi hai to mumkin hai’. We have restarted our series of victories with Haryana and now Maharashtra has given us such a thumping majority,” Fadnavis, seen as a favourite of the RSS, told newly elected MLAs after taking charge as their leader.