The moment unfolded during a press conference where BJP leader and Maharashtra’s chief minister-designate, Devendra Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar had gathered after staking their claim to form the state government.

When a media person asked Shinde if he and Pawar would be sworn in as deputy chief ministers at Azad Maidan, Shinde replied, “Let’s wait till evening. The oath ceremony is tomorrow.”

At this point, Ajit Pawar quickly chimed in, saying, “Inka to shaam tak pata chalega. Main to shapat le raha hoon. He (Shinde) will figure it out by evening. I’m the one taking the oath.”

This sparked laughter at the venue, but Shinde was quick to respond, saying, “Dada (Ajit Pawar) ko anubhav hai subah ko bhi lene ka aur shaam ko bhi. (Ajit Pawar has the experience of taking the oath in the morning as well as in the evening.”

This response further added to the laughter, creating a more lighthearted atmosphere among the leaders.

Pawar shared in Marathi that when he and Fadnavis last took the oath in the morning, they couldn’t sustain the government for long. This time, he assured, they would complete the full five-year term.

Both Shinde and the NCP chief were referring to the 2019 event when Pawar, still with the united NCP led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, took the oath as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister alongside Devendra Fadnavis in a pre-dawn ceremony at Raj Bhavan.

This government lasted only 80 hours as Ajit Pawar failed to secure enough support from NCP MLAs to align with the BJP. Subsequently, a coalition of Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress was formed with Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister and Ajit Pawar served as the deputy chief minister once again.