MUMBAI: Chief minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis has roped in 61 high-ranking bureaucrats for protocol duty for the swearing-in ceremony on Dec 5, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. This will be the first time in the recent past that such a large number of bureaucrats has been deployed to ensure a flawless and smooth event.
“All bureaucrats have been specifically asked to accompany the assigned dignitary, ensure a flawless event, and enhance the image of the state. Once a dignitary lands in Mumbai, it will be the responsibility of the bureaucrat to escort them to the specified hotel, then to the venue of the swearing-in ceremony, and after the event is over, back to the hotel,” a senior bureaucrat told TOI.
The bureaucrat said most governors, chief ministers, and deputy chief ministers of NDA-ruled states and senior office bearers of BJP and NDA allies are expected to attend the event. “We expect more than 50,000 persons to attend the grand event,” he said.
According to the list of bureaucrats circulated by the general administration department, special bureaucrats have been deployed for coordination with defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, BJP president and Union minister J P Nadda, Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Singh Chavan, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, commerce minister Piyush Goyal, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, BJP’s national general secretary B L Santhosh, joint secretary Shiv Prakash, and Rajasthan governor Haribhau Bagade.
Among the bureaucrats who have been deployed for protocol duty are Maharashtra State Power Generation Company CMD P Anbalagan, MIDC CEO P Velrasu, tribal development secretary Vijay Waghmare, and excise commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi.
Further, the bureaucrat said all former CMs of Maharashtra, including Sharad Pawar, Ashok Chavan, Uddhav Thackeray, Sushilkumar Shinde, and Narayan Rane, too, have been invited for the event.
