Fadnavis to be sworn in as Maharashtra CM for 3rd time
Mumbai (PTI): BJP legislature party leader Devendra Fadnavis will be sworn-in as the new chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening at a grand ceremony here which would be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
NCP head Ajit Pawar and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde are also expected to take oath as deputy chief ministers, sources said.
This is for the third time that Fadnavis (54), an MLA from Nagpur, will be sworn-in as the CM of Maharashtra.
The swearing-in ceremony will be held at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, where elaborate security arrangements have been made for the event.
The formation of the government under Fadnavis comes after two weeks of intense negotiations following the November 20 state assembly polls, the results of which were declared on November 23.
Fadnavis had emerged as the frontrunner for the coveted post following the BJP's strong showing in the elections as it secured 132 seats in the 288-member House.
Together with its allies Shiv Sena and NCP, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition has a commanding majority of 230 seats.
On Wednesday, Fadnavis, joined by Shinde and Pawar, met with state Governor CP Radhakrishnan to formally stake claim to form the government, presenting letters of support from the coalition partners.
Following this meeting, the governor extended an invitation for Fadnavis to lead the new government.
At the legislature party meeting earlier on Wednesday, Fadnavis thanked the BJP legislators for reposing trust in him, adding that the thumping victory of the ruling Mahayuti alliance was due to the mantra of “Ek hai toh safe hai” given by PM Modi.
The swearing-in ceremony will be a grand affair with nearly 42,000 attendees, BJP leader Prasad Lad earlier said.
PM Modi, several Union ministers, and chief ministers and deputy CMs of various states will attend the ceremony, he said.
Special arrangements have been made to accommodate 40,000 BJP supporters and a separate seating arrangement made for 2,000 VVIPs, including leaders from various religions, he said.
More than 4,000 police personnel have been deployed for security during the swearing-in ceremony, an official said.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
