December 6, 2024: The recent oath ceremony of the Maharashtra government at Azad Maidan in Mumbai attracted a star-studded gathering, with Bollywood superstars, political leaders, and business magnates in attendance.
Salman Khan, in a formal suit paired with stylish goggles, was spotted arriving at the event. He shared a warm and heartwarming hug with his Karan Arjun co-star Shah Rukh Khan, a moment that delighted fans and further fueled speculation about the friendship between the two. Other big names from Bollywood, including Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, also graced the occasion, along with Sanjay Dutt, who added his presence to the star-studded gathering.
On the political side, the event saw the swearing-in of key leaders. Devendra Fadnavis, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the new Mahayuti government. Fadnavis, who previously served as CM from 2014 to 2019 and also as Deputy CM in the last tenure, is now back at the helm. Alongside him, Shiv Sena Chief Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Ajit Pawar took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers, marking a new phase in Maharashtra's political landscape.
The ceremony was graced by some of India's most prominent political figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and several Chief Ministers from across India, such as Yogi Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh, Nitish Kumar of Bihar, and others.
The event also saw high-profile business leaders like Mukesh Ambani and the Birla family, highlighting the significance of the political event not just on a state level, but on a national scale. The presence of cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, along with his wife Anjali, further added to the star-studded atmosphere of the ceremony.
The backdrop to this grand event is the decisive victory of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, where the BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats, securing a landslide win with a total of 235 seats. This strong mandate for the BJP comes after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, led by the Congress, suffered a major setback, securing only 16 seats, while Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) managed 20 and 10 seats, respectively.
With the new government in place, Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar now hold the reins of power in Maharashtra, promising a fresh political and governance outlook for the state.
