28 November,2019 06:09 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Uddhav Thackeray greets the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi supporters after taking oath as the 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra. All Pictures/Ashish Rane
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray took charge as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra in a grand ceremony held at Shivaji Park in Dadar on Thursday evening. Amidst much fanfare, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari administered the oath to the first CM of Thackeray family with other six cabinet ministers belonging to the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) -an alliance of the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress party.
Thackeray, 59, became the third Sena leader after Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane to occupy the top post. Thackeray took over as chief minister over a month after results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections were declared on October 24.
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In a ceremony that saw a sea of supporters and people in attendees, Thackeray, the first leader in his family, took oath at 6.40 pm after paying homage to Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his parents. Apart from Thackeray, Chhagan Bhujbal, Balasaheb Thorat, Nitin Raut, Subhash Desai, Eknath Shinde, and Jayant Patil took oath as cabinet ministers on the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, the presence of their MLAs. After the ceremony, Thackeray is expected to hold the MVA government's first cabinet meeting at 8 pm this evening.
Former prime ministers Dr. Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, DMK president MK Stalin, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and former union minister Kapil Sibal were seen attending the swearing-in ceremony. Business tycoon Mukesh Ambani also attended the event with his wife Nita. MNS chief and Uddhav's cousin Raj Thackeray was also seen in the event with his family.
Amidst speculations over the vacant deputy chief minister's post, NCP's Ajit Pawar said, "I will not take oath today. Only Chhagan Bhujbal and Jayant Patil will take oath as ministers from the NCP." Sources in the NCP said Ajit Pawar will get the deputy chief minister's post.
NCP leader who took oath as minister greets party president Sharad Pawar
Sources in the Congress said only Thorat and Raut, who is chairman of the AICC's scheduled caste department, will take oath on Thursday, while other MLAs will be considered when the Cabinet expansion takes place after December 3. The Thackeray government will have to prove its majority before that date.
Ahead of the ceremony, NCP leaders Jayant Patil and Nawab Malik and Sena leader Eknath Shinde announced the CMP proposals at a media briefing here. The programme consists of a complete loan waiver to farmers in the state as well as one rupee clinic across the state, which will provide basic screening of people across the state, they said. Sena's most discussed promise during the Assembly poll campaign of offering a full meal at Rs 10 also figures in the CMP.
With inputs from agencies
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