Uddhav Thackeray invites PM Modi for oath-taking ceremony

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his oath-taking ceremony as Maharashtra’s new Chief Minister scheduled here on Thursday.

Thackeray spoke to the Prime Minister over the phone and invited him, Shiv Sena party sources confirmed.

Thackeray is set to form a government led by the Maha Vikas Aghadi, an alliance of Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress, and take oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday at Shivaji Park at 6.40 pm.

Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray has also invited Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh for the ceremony.

Around 400 farmers from various districts of Maharashtra have been invited for Thackeray’s swearing-in ceremony. On Tuesday, Thackeray was unanimously elected as the leader of the tri-party alliance.

The political development came after BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis submitted his resignation as Chief Minister to the Governor on Tuesday as “the BJP fell short of the required number of MLAs to win the scheduled floor test”.Supreme Court had asked the Fadnavis government to prove its majority in the 288-member Assembly before 5 pm on Wednesday.

In a sudden turn of events, both Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar were administered oath as the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of the state, respectively, on Saturday morning, nixing Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP’s bid to form government in the state.