'Like devil, deep sea': Fadnavis on choice between Rahul, Kejriwal
What's the story
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in for a third term on Thursday at a ceremony at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai. A day after the event, he was asked who he thinks is a better politician: Rahul Gandhi or Arvind Kejriwal. He replied, "This is like you asking me to choose between devil and deep sea." The Maharashtra CM didn't go on to explain his statement, leaving it open to interpretation.
Election triumph
Fadnavis leads BJP to victory in Maharashtra elections
Alongside him, Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar were also sworn in as deputy chief ministers at the ceremony. Fadnavis, who led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a victory with 132 seats, is now serving his third term as Maharashtra's chief minister. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which includes Shiv Sena and NCP, won a majority with 230 seats in the 288-member House.
Political dynamics
Fadnavis discusses relationship with deputy chief ministers
In an exclusive interview with News18, Fadnavis spoke about his equation with his deputies. He called Shinde "emotional in nature" and Pawar someone who "does practical politics." He also addressed speculations that Shinde was hesitant to be a deputy after having held the top post. Fadnavis said, "If a party chief is outside [the government], the party can't run properly. I made Shinde ji understand this."