Big decision on farmers’ relief in two days: Uddhav after first cabinet meet

Apart from Thackeray, Eknath Shinde, Subhash Desai (both from Shiv Sena), Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal (from NCP), Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin Raut (from Congress) were also sworn-in as ministers by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at a grand ceremony at Shivaji Park, the venue of Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rallies.

Those present at the ceremony included NCP chief Sharad Pawar, senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Mallikarjun Kharge, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and DMK leader MK Stalin. Also present was Uddhav Thackeray’s estranged cousin Raj Thackeray and industrialist Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita Ambani and son Anant.

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray during the oath-taking ceremony in Shivaji Park, Mumbai. (Express photo: Prashant Nadkar)

First Thackeray to lead

A backroom boy, with a love for the camera and latest tech gizmos, Uddhav became the first in the Thackeray-clan to become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray signs a document after swearing-in as the 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Also seen is Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. (PTI)

Seen as a less suave, too circumspect and mild to lead an aggressive cadre-based party like the Shiv Sena, Thackeray outnumbered his critics after deciding to join hands with Congress-NCP post-elections.

Uddhav will have to get elected either to the state Assembly or Legislative Council in the next six months. Once Uddhav appears in the state legislature after getting duly elected, the Thackeray family will have a unique record to their credit. It will be the first time that a father as chief minister and son as MLA will make their presence felt in the state legislature.

On to-do list: Farm loan waiver, 80% job quota for locals

Earlier, announcing its Common Minimum Program (CMP), the Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena combine, known as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), promised immediate farm loan waiver and said the government would ensure 80 per cent quota in jobs for locals. Crop insurance, immediate loan waiver and remunerative prices for farm produce were some of the other assurances made for farmers by the NCP-Shiv Sena-Congress combine in the CMP.

A crowd gathers to watch the swearing-in-ceremony of Shiv Sena party President Uddhav Thackeray. (Express photo: Prashant Nadkar)

The CMP also mentions setting up of Re 1 clinics at the taluka level across the state that will provide basic screening of people.

Congress top brass skips event

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi were amongst the leaders who decided to skip the swearing-in ceremony. In her first comments after aligning with the Shiv Sena, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the three parties have come together under extraordinary circumstances when the political atmosphere in the country had become poisonous.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, in a separate letter, also expressed confidence that the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition will provide “a stable, secular and pro-poor government”.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also sent his best wishes to Thackeray, terming his taking over as the chief minister of Maharashtra as a “historic event”.

Congratulations pour in

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Uddhav Thackeray on taking oath as Maharashtra chief minister, saying he is confident that the Shiv Sena chief will work diligently for the bright future of the state.

Congratulations to Uddhav Thackeray Ji on taking oath as the CM of Maharashtra. I am confident he will work diligently for the bright future of Maharashtra. @OfficeofUT

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 28, 2019

“Congratulations to Uddhav Thackeray Ji on taking oath as the CM of Maharashtra. I am confident he will work diligently for the bright future of Maharashtra,” he tweeted.

Terming the occasion as a “tight slap” on those trying to “destroy” country’s democratic fabric, JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda also congratulated the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress for forming a government in Maharashtra.

Congratulations to @ShivSena, @NCPspeaks and @INCMaharashtra on forming the Govt. in Maharashtra.
This is a tight slap on the face of those trying to destroy the democratic fabric that holds our Nation together.#MahaVikasAghadi@OfficeofUT @PawarSpeaks

— H D Devegowda (@H_D_Devegowda) November 28, 2019

“Congratulations to Shiv Sena, NCP, and INC on forming the Govt.in Maharashtra. This is a tight slap on the face of those trying to destroy the democratic fabric that holds our nation together,” Deve Gowda tweeted.