Mumbai: In a dramatic turn of events on Saturday morning, Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday took oath as the Maharashtra chief minister along with NCP leader Ajit Pawar as his deputy. Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath to the two leaders at Raj Bhawan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first politicians to congratulate Fadnavis and Pawar.

Expressing confidence in the smooth functioning of the state government, the Prime Minister said, “Congratulations to @Dev_Fadnavis Ji and @AjitPawarSpeaks Ji on taking oath as the CM and Deputy CM of Maharashtra respectively. I am confident they will work diligently for the bright future of Maharashtra.”

In an overnight coup, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) turned its tables on rivals with a faction of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) breaking away under Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar and forming government under the leader of Devendra Fadnavis in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

The development has brought a major twist in the Maharashtra saga as a day earlier it was senior Pawar who announced that the new Maharashtra government would be led by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.