Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis promised on Thursday that his government would continue the Ladki Bahin Yojana, and he would also go ahead with the promise that was made before the election to increase the monthly pay under the scheme to Rs 2,100 from the existing Rs 1,500. The Ladki Bahin Yojana aims at helping women from families below the poverty line. It was initiated by the first Mahayuti government.

At his first-ever press conference, he announced what he would like to achieve in the next five years, that his government was here to do “politics of change, not revenge.” He was quite sure that there was vast trust and immense pressure since when voters of Maharashtra have very soundly supported his group at the 2024 assembly election.

“The people’s hopes are high, and I feel their pressure,” Fadnavis said. At the same time, he also said that based on the progress made in the last two-and-a-half years, Maharashtra will continue to grow in social, infrastructure, and industrial areas.

Fadnavis said that the Ladki Bahin Yojana will go on. They are planning to put money for it in the next state budget. “We will keep our promise to raise the stipend to Rs 2,100 per month,” he promised. This announcement was part of the Mahayuti coalition’s plan to help women from poorer parts of society.

The Maharashtra Assembly will conduct a three-day special session in Mumbai beginning 7 December, announced Fadnavis. They would there choose the new speaker of the assembly. “The election for the new speaker will take place on December 9,” Fadnavis said.

Fadnavis said his government will get bigger before the winter meeting of the state legislature in Nagpur later this month. Right now, the government has Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde from Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar from NCP.

Talks on forming the cabinet are almost done, he said, indicating that discussions about job assignments are finishing. Fadnavis also showed political maturity by talking about the weaker opposition in the new assembly. “Even with a smaller opposition, we will deal with all valid issues they raise,” he said.

The CM repeated what his party thinks about the controversial caste census issue. He said the BJP is not against the census but has some issues with its use as a political tool. “The 2022 caste census in Bihar was done with our support, but we need to first decide its goals,” he said.

The CM also spoke about the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the assembly, with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) now having fewer than 50 seats in the 288-member house. He said that the issue would be decided by the new speaker.

Fadnavis illustrated an example in the Lok Sabha. There, because of the scarcity of members, the LoP is awarded powers given to the leader of the largest opposition party usually.

Fadnavis said that his plan for the future of Maharashtra was going to depend on people and work openly.

He said his administration would focus on keeping the state’s progress in important areas like river linking, solar energy, and overall development in social, industrial, and infrastructure sectors.

“Roles may have changed, but focus and direction stay the same,” he said, arguing that policies remain in operation even with new leaders in place. When asked pointedly who will get prominent Home and Finance jobs, though, Fadnavis was less than forthcoming–only saying that these roles will be with our government

When asked about Eknath Shinde’s role after he was not given a second term as CM, Fadnavis said there was no sign of any problem. “Shinde quickly agreed to my request to be part of the government,” he said, adding that it was important for the main leaders in the government to work together for good governance.

Fadnavis said that when thinking about his own political career, he had personally approached opposition leaders such as Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Sushilkumar Shinde, and Prithviraj Chavan, apart from Raj Thackeray of the MNS, asking them to attend his swearing-in ceremony.

“They congratulated me and wished me well. Sadly, they couldn’t come for personal reasons,” he said. The CM emphasized that political leaders should keep talking to each other even if they disagree, highlighting how important it is to work together. Finally, Fadnavis discussed his experience over the last five years when he spent time in opposition. He said that he came to “faith and patience” while in opposition, talking of lessons from Sai Baba which had helped him in political life.