Mumbai: Maharashtra’s first BJP chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in at Wankhede Stadium in South Mumbai amidst an optimistic mood since its old ally, the Shiv Sena, is expected to join this new government.

The BJP went out of its way to put up a star-studded show attended by nearly 40,000 guests, the most important being Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, the prime mover in political manoeuvres in the pre- and post-state election days, BJP chief ministers of other states, industrial czars, Nationalist Congress Party leaders as well as former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan of the Congress party and others.

The function started at 4.26pm after Modi arrived and Fadnavis, 44, took his oath as Maharashtra’s 27th chief minister along with eight cabinet ministers — Eknath Khadse, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Vinod Tawde, Prakash Mehta, Chandrakant Patil, Pankaja Munde and Vishnu Savra.

The two ministers of state to be sworn in were Dilip Kamble and Vidya Thakur. After Sena chief minister Manohar Joshi, Fadnavis is the second Brahmin to lead the state and heads a cabinet with ministers representing different regions and castes in the state. The lean cabinet is expected to be expanded in the winter legislative session.

At the short function, the young chief minister was beaming and was later surrounded by well-wishers. His wife Amruta, a banker, and his five-year-old daughter were also present at the ceremony.

What added a new zest to the all-BJP function was the presence of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray since in a last minute development, the miffed Sena chief was persuaded by BJP chief Shah to attend the massive function.

All the political song and dance of the BJP and Sena after the election results were announced on October 19 turned calm as it now appears that Sena is all set to join the BJP-led government to form a thumping majority that will not require the BJP to take the support of the NCP, an organisation with a different ideology.

Taking any help from the NCP would affect the BJP’s image, the Sena had warned in its editorials in the Saamna, its party newspaper, as the BJP-Sena’s 25-year-old partnership was based on Hindutva ideology. Despite the breakaway from the Sena before the elections, the BJP won 122 seats, just 23 seats away from a majority whilst the Sena has 63 in its kitty.

With the BJP refusing to announce portfolios for the Sena, the latter said it would boycott the event and accused the BJP of humiliating it. But this morning, Shah and Fadnavis called Thackeray and invited him to the ceremony.

For the Sena, which has been out of power for 15 years, being in the government is vital as in two years the elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will be held where the BJP-Sena partnership is still underway. The Sena also continues to be part of the BJP-led government at the centre where Anant Geete, union heavy industries minister, is the lone Sena member in the union cabinet.