Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced on Wednesday, 17 August, that Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis has been appointed the leader of the House in the state Legislative Council.
Shinde's announcement came while he was introducing the newly inducted members of the Cabinet to the Upper House on the first day of the state assembly's monsoon session.
The House also passed a resolution congratulating Droupadi Murmu and Jagdeep Dhankhar for being elected as the president and vice president, respectively.
Fadnavis, who is an MLA from Nagpur, was also allocated the portfolio of the coveted home ministry in Maharashtra.
A statement from the CM's office said that Fadnavis would also handle the finance and planning ministries in the state.
Shinde had cobbled together a coalition with the BJP earlier this year, after initiating a rebellion within the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.
With the support of around 40 MLAs, Shinde joined hands with the BJP, which is the single largest party in the House with 106 seats.
While it was expected that Fadnavis would return as the state's chief minister and Shinde would be his deputy, it was announced that the latter would assume the top post in a surprise move.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)