Sachin Tendulkar attends Maharashtra government oath ceremony at Azad Maidan

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 5 : Legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar attended the oath-taking ceremony of the Maharashtra government at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Thursday.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra during the ceremony held at Azad Maidan.
Sachin Tendulkar, accompanied by his wife Anjali, was seen with Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla during the event.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena Chief Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Ajit Pawar took their oaths as Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra. Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered the oath to Shinde and Pawar at the same venue.
The ceremony marked the formation of the new Mahayuti government, with Devendra Fadnavis resuming his role as Chief Minister. Notably, Fadnavis previously served as Maharashtra's Chief Minister from 2014 to 2019 and as Deputy Chief Minister in the recent Mahayuti government.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and several other prominent leaders. Chief Ministers from various states, including Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh), Pramod Sawant (Goa), Bhupendra Patel (Gujarat), and Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand), were also present.
After days of speculation over who would assume key roles in the new government, Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar met Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Wednesday to stake their claim to form the Mahayuti government.
The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 resulted in a decisive victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which secured a landslide win with 235 seats. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats, while the Shiv Sena and NCP secured 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance suffered a significant setback, with Congress winning just 16 seats. Its alliance partner, Shiv Sena (UBT), secured 20 seats, while the NCP's Sharad Pawar faction managed only 10.
Speaking of Tendulkar, the 'Master Blaster' is celebrated for his unparalleled skill and mastery in cricket, entertaining fans worldwide from 1989 to 2013. The Maharashtra-born player made his Test debut on November 15, 1989, at the age of 16, and played his first ODI on December 18 of the same year.
With 34,357 runs in 664 international appearances at an average of 48.52, Tendulkar remains the highest run-scorer in international cricket. He has 100 centuries and 164 half-centuries to his name, records unmatched in the sport's history. Tendulkar was the first cricketer to achieve a double century in ODIs and played a record 200 Test matches.
In ODIs, he amassed 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83, including 49 centuries and 96 half-centuries. In Tests, he scored 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78, with 51 centuries and 68 fifties. Tendulkar was also a part of India's ICC Cricket World Cup-winning team in 2011, achieving his lifelong dream after his World Cup debut in 1992.
From 2008 to 2013, Tendulkar represented the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, winning the tournament in 2013.