Uddhav Thackeray leaves YB chavan centre after meeting with Sena, Congress and NCP leaders. He will take oath as chief minister tomorrow (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)
Maharashtra Government Formation HIGHLIGHTS: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray Wednesday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be a part of his oathtaking ceremony as the new chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday. The new Maharashtra government will have only one deputy chief minister from NCP and the Speaker will be from the Congress, while his deputy will be from the NCP, party leader Praful Patel said Thursday after NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena MLAs meeting. Meanwhile, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has been elected as the Leader of the Opposition by the BJP.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will on Thursday take oath of the chief minister of Maharashtra, becoming the first in the Thackeray clan to hold the coveted post. Thackeray, 59, will be the third Sena leader after Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane to occupy the top post. Among the invitees are all Congress chief ministers, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, DMK chief MK Stalin, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra CM-designate Uddhav Thackeray and wife Rashmi Thackeray met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan. Meanwhile, NCP leader Ajit Pawar, whose brief support to the BJP ruffled quite a few feathers in the new three-party coalition, today said joining hands with the BJP wasn’t a revolt and that he was, is and will always be in the NCP.
A special session of the state Assembly was convened to administer oath to members in the 288-member House by pro-tem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar. NCP leader Ajit Pawar was greeted with thumping of desks by NCP members when he went to the podium to take oath. Ahead of the special session, Pawar greeted cousin Supriya Sule with a hug outside the Assembly.
On Tuesday, Devendra Fadnavis tendered his resignation — the shortest tenure of a government in Maharashtra — following the Supreme Court’s order for a floor test. Fadnavis’ resignation is not just the loss of power in the country’s financial hub, but a second misadventure for the BJP within 18 months. This will hurt the party brass more than the fall of the earlier Karnataka government because this time the offices of the President and PM were dragged in to impose President’s Rule and to revoke it later.
Devendra Fadnavis stepped down as Maharashtra Chief Minister after taking oath on Saturday
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray Wednesday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be a part of his oathtaking ceremony as the new chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday.
Picture of Bal Thackeray and Indira Gandhi seen on a poster near Sena Bhavan. Poster states, "Balasheb Thackeray's dream fulfilled, Chief Minister from Shiv Sena".
Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray invited former Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the swearing-in ceremony of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister of Maharashtra tomorrow. "We came here to seek her (Sonia Gandhi) wishes and blessings for the new government. We have invited a lot of leaders. We are also seeking Dr Manmohan Singh's good wishes," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.
Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray and PA of Uddhav Thackeray Milind Narvekar invited Sonia Gandhi to the swearing-in ceremony of the Sena chief tomorrow
Praful Patel, NCP after attending a meeting of NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena MLAs in Mumbai: There will be only one Deputy Chief Minister and that will be from NCP.
"How many ministers will take oath will be decided tonight. 1 or 2 MLAs from each party will take oath as ministers. Speaker has been decided by all three parties, Speaker will be from Congress and Deputy Speaker from NCP," news agency ANI quoted him as saying
Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray has arrived at the residence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi to invite her for the swearing-in ceremony of Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister tomorrow.
Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray will be in Delhi tonight to invite Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi for the swearing-in ceremony of Uddhav Thackeray as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, tomorrow
Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray, Congress's Ahmed Patel and other 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' leaders leave after attending the meeting of Congress-Shiv Sena-NCP MLAs at Y.B. Chavan Center.
The BJP has elected former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will take oath as the 18th chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday. Thackeray, 59, will be the third Sena leader after Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane to occupy the top post.
On Thursday (November 28) evening, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will take oath as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra, heading a government of the Maha Vikas Aghadi that will also include the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.
The ceremony will take place at the historic Shivaji Park maidan, a 28-acre open space in the Marathi-dominated Dadar neighbourhood of central Mumbai. Shivaji Park is a prized bastion of the Shiv Sena, and holds immense emotional value for the party. READ MORE HERE
Poster of Ajit Pawar put up in Baramati by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers. Poster states "...let us decide now what you should or should not do. Whole Maharashtra is looking towards you as a future Chief Minister".
The CPI(M) on Wednesday said it will not oppose formation of the new Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress to ensure that the BJP does not return to power.
The party also demanded sacking of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for playing a "partisan role at the behest of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister".
The CPI(M) issued a statement on Wednesday, a day after the four-day-old BJP government of Devendra Fadnavis supported by NCP's Ajit Pawar collapsed due to lack of majority in House. The party has one MLA in the 288-member Legislative Assembly.
"To ensure that the BJP does not return to power, the CPI (M) has decided that it will not oppose the formation of the new Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government," it stated.
(PTI)
Back in the NCP fold, party leader Ajit Pawar said him supporting the short-lived BJP government was not a "revolt". "Did NCP remove me? Did you read about my removal from NCP?" news agency PTI quoted him as saying. Although Pawar was removed as the NCP legislative leader on his supporting the BJP, his party membership was not revoked.
Maharashtra caretaker Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said he will speak at the "right time" about the support extended by NCP leader Ajit Pawar to the BJP in forming the government last week, which collapsed on Tuesday.
"I will speak about it at the right time," Fadnavis said when asked by reporters on the Vidhan Bhavan premises about the support extended by Ajit Pawar to the BJP in forming a government on November 23.
The BJP formed government on November 23 morning after Ajit Pawar broke ranks with the NCP and aligned with the saffron party. Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar then took oath as CM and deputy CM, respectively. The four-day-old government, however, collapsed on Tuesday, after Ajit Pawar resigned citing "personal reasons".
Fadnavis also stepped down.
CM-designate Uddhav Thackeray has arrived at YB Chavan centre, in Mumbai for the meeting of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena MLAs. He will take oath as the Chief Minister of the state tomorrow.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Winter session of the Parliament, Home Minister Amit Shah Wednesday hit out at the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance in Maharashtra, saying "parties with opposite ideologies have joined hands only to grab power."
A special session of the 14thMaharashtra Legislative Assembly commenced to administer oath to the newly-elected members. MORE PHOTOS HERE
NCP leader Supriya Sule welcomes newly-elected Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray at Maharashtra Vidhan Bhawan in Mumbai (Express Photo By Ganesh Shirsekar)
NCP's Chhagan Bhujbal shows victory sign after being sworn in as MLA at Maharashtra Vidhan Bhawan, in Mumbai (Express Photo By Ganesh Shirsekar)
Newly-elected NCP MLA Rohit Pawar and first time Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray at Maharashtra Vidhan Bhawan (Express Photo By Ganesh Shirsekar)
Back in fold, Ajit Pawar attends a meeting of NCP MLAs in Mumbai.
Vijay Wadettiwar, Congress said all Congress Chief Ministers have been invited to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray tomorrow. DMK leader MK Stalin, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal have also been invited.
Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said the party has invited Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the swearing-in ceremony of Uddhav Thackeray tomorrow. On Tuesday, Thackeray, who was unanimously elected as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the Congress-NCP-Sena front, thanked Gandhi for her support. Uddhav said those with whom the Sena aligned for the past 30 years, did not trust him, referring to the BJP. “But those with we fought for 30 years, expressed faith in me,” he said.
Ajit Pawar after meeting of NCP MLAs said: "Chief Minister will take oath tomorrow, I informed our MLAs about that programme and told them that all of us have to be there." Pawar, who had allied with the BJP for a brief period, was sacked as the NCP’s legislature unit leader, but his party membership was not revoked.
Maharashtra CM-designate and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, accompanied by wife Rashmi met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan today. The Shiv Sena chief will be the first from the Thackeray family to be sworn in as the chief minister.
(Express Photo)
(Express Photo)
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday raised security concerns over the swearing-in ceremony of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister at Shivaji Park here, and said holding such functions at a public ground should not become a regular feature.
Henceforth, everyone will want to use the ground for such ceremonies, a division bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and R I Chagla said while making it clear that the court is not saying anything about the oath-taking event. Thackeray will be sworn in as chief minister of Maharashtra at the Shivaji Park in Dadar in central Mumbai on Thursday evening.
"We do not want to say anything about tomorrow's ceremony...we are only praying that nothing untoward happens," the court said while hearing a plea of NGO Wecom Trust on whether the Shivaji Park was a playground or a recreation ground.
"What will happen is that this (holding ceremonies) will become a regular feature and everyone will want to use the ground for such ceremonies," Justice Dharmadhikari said. The court also raised concerns over the security aspect, saying lakhs of people will gather for the ceremony,
scheduled for 6:40 pm on Thursday.
"You (authorities) have to also consider security aspect. You cannot put everybody's lives at risk," the court said. (PTI)
Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis changed his Twitter bio from 'chief minister' to 'caretaker chief minister' after resigning from his post Tuesday. Taking oath as the CM on Saturday, Fadnavis and his ally for three days Ajit Pawar resigned from their posts following the Supreme Court order directing a floor test to prove majority.
Fadnavis took oath as an MLA today
Priyanka Chaturvedi, Deputy leader, Shiv Sena, called on party chief Uddhav Thackeray ahead of his oath-taking ceremony tomorrow as chief minister of Maharashtra.
The BJP made "aghori" (barbaric) attempts to retain power in Maharashtra but the state's people foiled it, marking the beginning of a change in the country's politics, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Wednesday.
Addressing reporters here, Raut said it will not be surprising if the Shiv Sena forms government at the Centre after having installed its chief minister (Uddhav Thackeray) in Maharashtra. Raut, who addressed the media regularly over the past one month as he took the BJP head-on, aggressively putting forth his party's side, also said that he would not be holding regular press briefings from Thursday and revert to his work
pertaining to the Sena's mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
Maharashtra pisode was also a reminder of the BJP’s unsettling fondness to execute its moves under the cover of darkness (as in the late-night movements against a former CBI chief) or in the confines of a sealed envelope. The fact that the apex court was required to intervene, once again, is itself a sad commentary on where the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah regime has taken Indian politics. If Modi-Shah had spent more time studying the Constitution they would have been made familiar with Justice Brandeis’s maxim that sunlight is the best disinfectant. And regardless of how many late-night operations or coups are executed, the sun always rises. No amount of “Chanakya niti” can change that. Read the opinion piece, here
Ajit Pawar, who returned to the party fold on Tuesday evening after a brief alliance with the BJP, attended the NCP MLAs meet in Mumbai today. Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil, and senior party leaders Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil are also present in the meeting held at the Y B Chavan Centre.
Former Karnataka chief minister and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy has a piece of advice for the BJP following the Maharashtra drama. "Hope Maharashtra setback dawns wisdom on BJP to shed its LUST for power, game of toppling govts and forcing unwanted elections," he wrote on Twitter. Targetting BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, he wrote, "Popular adage 'reap what you sow' aptly applies to Fadnavis. He has harvested the bounty he has sown. (BSY will soon land himself in a similar situation). BJP which is after lust for power, has paid a heavy price."
The Karnataka political fight has parallels to the one fought in Maharashtra in recent months. In both the states, MLAs of each party were huddled together in order to prevent horse-trading. Kumaraswamy's government collapsed after 17 Congress-JDS MLAs withdrew support
Senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse said BJP should not have aligned with Ajit Pawar. "My personal opinion is that BJP should not have taken the support of Ajit Dada Pawar. He is an accused in the massive irrigation scam and faces many allegations, so we should not have allied with him." (ANI)
NCP leader Ajit Pawar said he continues to be in the Sharad Pawar-led party, adding it was up to CM-designate Uddhav Thackeray to take a call on inducting him into the cabinet. "I am not unhappy with anyone. I will accept any responsibility given by my party. The decision to induct me in the cabinet is to be taken by Uddhav Thackeray as CM," he said.
Former Karnataka chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah said what happened in Maharashtra is a "slap on the face of BJP." "How could Fadnavis take oath knowing he did not have the majority? It was a violation of the constitution. Narendra Modi was equally involved in this insult to democracy, he was also hand in glove," he said, news agency ANI reported.
After Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena decided to join hands with the Congress and NCP to stake claim to form government in Maharashtra, a Sena leader announced his resignation on Twitter. "My conscious and ideology does not permit me to work with Congress. I cannot work half-heartedly (sic)," Ramesh Solanki tweeted.
Sharing pictures with the Sena leaders and thanking them for the support, Solanki said that he was "making the most difficult decision" of his life "with a heavy heart."
Aaditya Thackeray who is a first-time MLA said he felt very proud while taking the oath and that he wants to serve the people of Maharashtra. "We are committed to making a new Maharashtra. There are several first-time MLAs and we all felt proud while taking the oath. Want to serve the people of the state." Aaditya is the first Thackeray to contest the polls. He made his electoral debut from Worli seat.
After taking the oath, the 29-year-old leader went up to all senior members to greet them.
A day after Devendra Fadnavis resigned as the Maharashtra Chief Minister following the withdrawal of support by NCP's Ajit Pawar, the BJP leader was questioned if the alliance was a mistake. "I will say the right thing at the right time, don't worry," he said, news agency ANI reported. During a presser before submitting his resignation, Fadnavis had said BJP was banking on Pawar's assurance that he would get 20 to 25 NCP MLAs. After Pawar resigned as the Deputy CM, the alliance did not have enough numbers to cross the halfway mark
NCP leader Nawab Malik Wednesday said party chief Sharad Pawar has forgiven Ajit for switching to BJP. "In the end, he admitted his mistake. It is a family matter and Pawar Sahib has forgiven him. He is very much in the party and his position in the party has not changed," news agency ANI reported
Senior Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Pradeep Mathur called Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari a "BJP agent" and demanded his dismissal for dragging the office of the President into controversy. He also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for revoking president's rule in Maharashtra without calling a cabinet meeting.
The way president's rule was imposed and revoked in Maharashtra by Koshyari has unnecessarily dragged the country's highest office into controversy. "I have not witnessed anything like this in my 20 years tenure as an MLA," he said
Senior Congress leaders including Ahmed Patel and KC Venugopal are scheduled set to meet Sharad Pawar today at his residence. The leaders are likely to hold a discussion on tomorrow's swearing-in ceremony of Uddhav Thackeray and the names that will be included in the new cabinet.
Once being the only second chief minister in Maharashtra to complete the full five-year term, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis now holds the dubious distinction of being the CM for the shortest tenure of 80 hours since the state came into being on May 1, 1960. Fadnavis is also the first chief minister of the state to resign twice from the post in a month. On November 8, he had resigned from the top post before of the end of the Assembly’s tenure.
Earlier, P K Sawant held the record of being the Maharashtra CM for the shortest term of 10 days — from November 25 to December 4, 1963.
Maharashtra Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat on said the sharing of portfolios among the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress in the next state government will be finalised in a couple of days. "The ratio of portfolio-sharing will be finalised in next two days. The number of Cabinet and Minister of State (MoS) posts to be given to each party will also be finalised in next two days," he said.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray may become the next Chief Minister, but it is NCP leader Sharad Pawar, the grand old man of Maharashtra politics, who has emerged as the undisputed anchor and face of the three-party alliance. Pawar has now relegated the Congress, which was once a major player in the state, to the role of an adjunct. Even the Sena, which is set to head the new state government, has been forced to accept his predominance. Read to know why
Some BJP leaders believe that Ajit Pawar resigned as he wanted to avoid being “humiliated” as the alliance cobbled together by the BJP and him was likely to fail the floor test. Constitutional experts said the Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday, that the pro-tem speaker will hold the trust vote on Wednesday, forced Ajit Pawar’s hand and he had to quit the same day. NCP leaders, meanwhile, said Ajit Pawar did not have the numbers he must have promised the BJP. And once he realised his efforts were not yielding the desired response, he resigned.
The return of Dhananjay Munde, who is a close aide of Ajit Pawar, to party chief Sharad Pawar was another major blow to Ajit Pawar’s bid to cobble up the requisite alliance. Other NCP leaders dismissed media reports that claimed appeals by family members and party workers made Ajit Pawar change his mind. Read more
Ajit Pawar may end this year, one dotted with political ups and downs for him, with a question mark over his nearly three-decade-long political career, after his efforts to strike out on his own and forge an alliance with the BJP fizzled out. Question marks remain on what he will do next, and how the rest of NCP and Sharad Pawar will respond to his attempted rebellion. Read more
NCP leader Ajit Pawar today reiterated his support to the party. "I have nothing to say (right now), I will speak at the right time. I had said earlier also, I am in the NCP and I will remain in the NCP. There is no reason to create confusion," Ajit Pawar told reporters. After Pawar switched to BJP, NCP sacked him as its legislature unit leader. However, he continues to be a member of the party.
Maharashtra CM-designate and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, accompanied by wife Rashmi met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan today. The Shiv Sena chief will be the first from the Thackeray family to be sworn in as the chief minister.
Announcing his resignation, Devendra Fadnavis accused BJP’s estranged ally Shiv Sena of being desperate for the chief minister’s post and surrendering its “Hindutva” ideology at the feet of Congress president Sonia Gandhi only to keep the BJP out of power. " I have a fear that this new government will get buried under its own weight as there are so many internal contradictions. When I saw yesterday that Sena leaders were taking oath in the name of Sonia Gandhi, I realised how desperate Sena people had become to get power,” Fadnavis said. Read more, here
Uddhave Thackeray will be sworn-in as Maharashtra Chief Minister tomorrow at 6.40 pm at the Shivaji Park. “You may send me the list enjoys the majority support in assembly within the period of 7 days i.e. December 3,” the letter from the Governor stated. The Governor also noted that since Uddhav is not a member of the Maharashtra Assembly or Council, he will need to become a member of the state legislature within six months of taking oath as Chief Minister.
NCP leader and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule greeted the party MLAs in the Assembly. "This day comes with a big responsibility," she told reporters. She also hugged cousin Ajit Pawar outside the Assembly
In Maharashtra, the BJP was both outplayed by its rivals in the bareknuckled political game it so enjoys, and snubbed for its apparent constitutional transgressions by the umpire, the apex court. In Maharashtra, there is political blame to be pinned on all major players, with unlikely and opportunistic alliance-making on all sides. But the responsibility for playing fast and loose with the Constitution rests with the BJP. For a party that came to power in 2014 and 2019 with overwhelming mandates, for a party that promised to change the old and bring in the new, it has been strikingly reckless in its own treatment of political norms and institutions.
The next government in Maharashtra starts with an unclean slate. The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress will have to battle and rein in their several inner contradictions, ensure that they do not overwhelm governance. Read the entire editorial, here
The swearing-in ceremony today marked a rare occasion when the House assembled for the session without the formation of a government and appointment of the chief minister. Usually, the CM is first administered oath followed by other members. "The Supreme Court's interim verdict has made it mandatory for us to carry out the swearing-in ceremony. Once the oath is administered to all MLAs, the Assembly will come into motion without a head and the Cabinet," State Vidhan Bhawan's in-charge secretary Rajendra Bhagawat told PTI said.
At least three senior party leaders admitted that what happened to the party in Maharashtra was not just a loss of face, but had also “dented credibility, damaged the image of the Prime Minister and given the impression of BJP being a power-grabbing party”. "In Maharashtra, there was sympathy for the BJP after the Shiv Sena broke the alliance and hobnobbed with our rivals. Whatever happened since Saturday completely reversed it. The party has turned out to be the biggest loser,” a BJP MP said. Read more
Some BJP leaders pointed out that there could have been “over-confidence” in the party. Until last Thursday, when Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena advanced its discussions with the NCP and Congress, the BJP leadership was “certain that the Sena could not break its ties with its ideological brother”. The party leaders interpreted Sena’s public outbursts and its negotiations with rivals as “attempts to regain the lost glory of Matoshree (the Thackeray residence) and a visit from the BJP top leadership to Matoshree could break the stalemate”.
Ajit Pawar was greeted with thumping of desks from NCP members when he went to the podium to take the oath. NCP MLA and grand-nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar Rohit Pawar said the party workers will work under Ajit's guidance now. "We are happy that Ajit Pawar has come back. He is also here today. He is a part of NCP. Going forward, we would work under his guidance."
Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Aaditya Thackeray have been administered oath as Maharashtra MLAs. Pawar is an NCP MLA from Baramati seat, while Bhujbal won from Nashik. Aaditya who made his electoral debut with Maharashtra Assembly elections is Worli MLA. Thackeray is the first in the family to contest the polls.
"We are happy that finally the dream of Balasaheb ji Thackeray is being fulfilled. 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' will be led by Uddhav Thackeray, guided by Sharad Pawar & Sonia ji madam has made an immense contribution to it, so we will do great work for Maharashtra," Shiv Sena's Neelam Gorhe said, ahead of the ceremony in Maharashtra Assembly.
NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule arrive at the Maharashtra Assembly ahead of the oath-taking ceremony. Sule who had called Ajit a "traitor" for turning towards the BJP hugged him in the Assembly. Sule's husband Sadanand Sule had met Ajit yesterday to convince him to come back to the party's fold. "Lot of new responsibility. Every citizen of Maharashtra stood by us," Supriya Sule told reporters today.
Welcome to The Indian Express' live blog on political developments in Maharashtra. After Fadnavis resigned as Maharashtra CM, Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray is set to lead the state. A special session of Assembly has been convened to administer the oath to the MLAs today. Follow the latest news, here.