Mumbai: NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who was on Saturday sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, returned to his private residence near Churchgate in the early hours of Sunday, sources said.

He spent Saturday at his brother's home in Mumbai even as his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar attended a party meeting where most of the NCP MLAs were present.

Meanwhile, a meeting of BJP legislators is slated in Mumbai on Sunday, a day after Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the chief minister again.

The NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena are trying to ensure their MLAs are not poached.

In view of this, the NCP and Shiv Sena have moved their legislators to luxury hotels in Mumbai, while the Congress sources said they may take their MLAs to Jaipur.

In the 288-member state Assembly, the BJP government will have to prove that it has the backing of 145 legislators.

There has been no official confirmation on reports that the Governor has asked Fadnavis to prove his majority in the Assembly by November 30.

In a stunning turn of events, Fadnavis on Saturday returned as chief minister propped up by Ajit Pawar, who was made his deputy, just hours after the new alliance of Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress reached a consensus that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be their chief ministerial candidate.

Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were sworn in by Koshyari at a hush-hush ceremony here, leading to lifting of the President's rule in the state.