Eknath Shinde was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Thursday evening, bringing the curtain down on nearly two weeks of ‘will he, won’t he’ suspense over the Shiv Sena leader agreeing to stand down his dream of the state’s top job, and accept a role as Devendra Fadnavis’ deputy.

The Sena boss stood up to recite the oath a little after 5.30 pm, after Devendra Fadnavis had been sworn in, but then veered off-script a little, launching into a speech thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, and also praising Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.

Eknath Shinde walked up to the microphone and Governor CP Radhakrishnan was on stand-by to read out the oath. Mr Radhakrishnan managed one word – “Mein (I)…” – before Mr Shinde took over.

Mr Radhakrishnan looked quite nonplussed, as did the Prime Minister, and Mr Shinde spoke for 40 seconds, also referring to late Sena leader Anand Dighe, his political mentor, before he was corrected.

#WATCH | Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde takes oath as Deputy CM of Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/G33WOBOLbw

— ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2024

The Sena boss then quickly got his head down and continued with the oath.

READ | Fadnavis New Maharashtra Chief Minister, Shinde, Ajit Pawar Deputies

After the ceremony was (finally) over, and a symbolic first cabinet meeting is held, Mr Shinde’s office said he will visit the late Balasaheb’s memorial in Mumbai’s Colaba and that of Anand Dighe’s in Thane.

In the hours leading up to the oath ceremony, it was unclear if Mr Shinde would, in fact, be present at the ceremony. The Sena leader, his party sources told NDTV this afternoon, was reconsidering his position in the new government after losing the tug-of-war over the Chief Minister’s post.

READ | E Shinde Back On Board After Eleventh Hour “Suspense” Before Oath

The dithering by Mr Shinde was being seen by many as an attempt to secure key cabinet berths in the incoming government. Part of the negotiations that saw Mr Fadnavis confirmed as the new Chief Minister saw the BJP keep around 20 cabinet berths and give a dozen to the Shinde Sena.

Just what these are, or will be, is unclear.

But they will certainly be high-profile posts; the Shinde Sena, sources said, has designs on the Home Ministry, currently held by Mr Fadnavis. At least three other big-name portfolios, including Water Resources and Public Works Department, are also expected to be heading to the Shinde Sena.

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India slammed developed countries for causing the climate crisis during a landmark hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday, saying they exploited the global carbon budget, failed to honour climate-finance promises and are now demanding that developing countries restrict their resource use.

The court is examining what legal obligations countries have to address climate change and the consequences if they fail.

Making submissions on behalf of India, Luther M Rangreji, joint secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said, “If the contribution to degradation is unequal, the responsibility must also be unequal.”

India said developing nations are the hardest hit by climate change, despite contributing the least to it.

“The developed world, which historically contributed the most, is ironically the best equipped with the technological and economic means to address this challenge,” Rangreji said.

He criticised rich countries for enjoying the benefits of fossil fuels while discouraging developing nations from using their own energy resources.

“Countries which have reaped development benefits from exploiting fossil fuels demand developing countries to not utilise the national energy resources available to them,” he said.

India also slammed the lack of action on climate-finance commitments.

“The USD 100 billion pledged at the Copenhagen COP in 2009 by developed country parties and the doubling of the contribution to the Adaptation Fund have not yet been translated into any concrete actions,” India noted.

It called the new climate finance package for the Global South agreed at COP29 in Azerbaijan’s Baku “too little, too distant” to meet the urgent needs of developing countries.

India stressed the principle of fairness, saying, “If the contribution to global environmental degradation is unequal, the responsibility should also be unequal.”

India also reaffirmed its commitment to its climate targets under the Paris Agreement, but warned against overburdening its citizens.

“There is a limit on how much we burden our citizens, even when India is pursuing Sustainable Development Goals for one-sixth of humanity,” it said.

The hearing is the result of years of campaigning by Pacific island nations and Vanuatu, which led to a UN resolution asking the ICJ for an advisory opinion. Over the next two weeks, 98 countries, including small island nations and large emitters, will present their views.

Though non-binding, the ICJ’s opinion could set a moral and legal benchmark in the global fight against climate change.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The earthquake’s epicentre is marked near Ferndale, California, a small city in Humboldt County. 

​The earthquake’s epicentre is marked near Ferndale, California, a small city in Humboldt County.