Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra along with six other ministers from its alliance partners - NCP and Congress. The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress formed the government after the Thackeray-led party fell out with pre-poll ally BJP over sharing the chief ministerial post. The 59-year-old is the third Sena leader after Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane to occupy the top post and the first from the Thackeray clan to become the chief minister. Born on July 27, 1960, in Mumbai, Thackeray studied at Balmohan Vidyamandir and later graduated from the JJ School of Arts, where photography was his main subject. Besides being a published author, he is also a professional photographer whose work has appeared in various magazines and has been showcased at numerous exhibitions. See pictures | At Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, Maharashtra gets Uddhav sarkar Eknath Shinde, Subhash Desai (both Shiv Sena), Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal (both NCP), Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin Raut (both Congress) were also sworn-in as ministers. Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP) The 72-year-old is a veteran figure in Maharashtra politics. Currently, a senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, Bhujbal has served both Congress and Shiv Sena at different times. He served as the Mayor of Mumbai twice - 1985-86 and 1990-91. He quit the Sena in 1991, causing quite a stir in state politics, and joined the Congress. Then he resigned from the Congress in 1999 and sided with Sharad Pawar who formed the NCP the same year. Bhujbal, who represents the OBC community, was also named in a money laundering case when the BJP-led government was in power. He spent two years in jail since March 2016. Jayant Patil (NCP) Jayant Patil, son of popular Maharashtra leader, the late Rajaram Patil, is known for composed demeanour. He will be one of the key leaders who will be seen doing the trapeze act to ensure that three-party government sustains and does not face contradictions. Patil took charge of the NCP's Maharashtra unit, replacing Sunil Tatkare in April 2018. Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena) Eknath Shinde, a 55-year-old Shiv Sena leader, is known as a troubleshooter within the Shiv Sena. He has won the Thane seat consecutively four times. After the Shiv Dena decided to join the BJP-led government after the 2014 Assembly elections, Shinde was made the Minister of Public Works and went on to head the Maharashtra State Roads Development Corporation (MSRDC). Subhash Desai (Shiv Sena) Subhash Desai, the senior-most member who took oath on Thursday, is serving his third term in the Maharashtra Legislative Council. The 77-year-old leader was the Industries Minister in the 2014-19 BJP-Sena government. Balasaheb Thorat (Congress) Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, known for maintaining a low profile, is the party's state unit chief. He was first elected as an MLA from Sangamner in 1985 as an independent. In 1990, he contested the Assembly poll on a Congress ticket and this is his eighth term as a legislator. He became a Minister of State in 1999 and was promoted to the Cabinet rank in 2004. The Congress legislature party leader has held revenue, agriculture, water conservation portfolios in the past. Nitin Raut (Congress) A key leader of the Congress from its erstwhile bastion of Vidarbha in eastern Maharashtra, Nitin Raut (62) is a four-term MLA. He is national chairman of the Congress's Scheduled Caste department and one of the working presidents of the party in Maharashtra. Hailing from Nagpur, Raut, too, comes with past experience in government. He has held animal husbandry, employment guarantee and water conservation departments so far.
