Uddhav Bal Thackeray was sworn-in as the 18th chief minister of Maharashtra Thursday evening, bringing an end to days and weeks of political instability and stunning turnarounds in the state's politics. Clad in a saffron kurta, Uddhav Thackeray took oath at Mumbai's iconic Shivaji Park, a playground that is as synonymous with the Shiv Sena as it is with Indian cricket.
The 59-year-old Uddhav Thackeray is the first of his family to be the chief minister of Maharashtra. His father Bal Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena over five decades ago. Since then, the party has been an active player in Maharashtra politics, and has even had two of its leaders become chief minister. But, a Thackeray has never become chief minister.
On Thursday, Uddhav Thackeray took oath, propped up by the support of two unlikely allies -- Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and the Indian Nationalist Congress. Six leaders -- Sena's Eknath Shinde and Subash Desai, NCP's Jayant Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal and Conrgress's Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin Raut -- took oath along with Uddhav.
The oath-taking ceremony took place at Mumbai's Shivaji Park in front of thousands of people. In attendance were billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his family, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav's estranged cousin Raj Thackeray and other top leaders from the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance.
STABILITY
With Thursday's oath-taking ceremony, Maharashtra can finally look at some politically stability. The state has been in a crisis of sorts since the October 24 election results, which threw up a hung assembly.
The pre-poll alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena had the numbers to form government. However, the two parties had a falling out with the Shiv Sena insisting that the chief minister's post be shared between the two and the BJP being in no mood to let that happen.
Matters came to a head and the BJP-Shiv Sena's blow hot, blow cold relationship ended as the two failed to arrive at an agreement. The crisis in Maharashtra was deepened and President's rule was briefly imposed.
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Then, the Sena began discussions with the NCP and the Congress and just when they looked set to form government, former CM Devendra Fadnavis pulled a stunner, taking oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra at a surprise ceremony last Saturday. He was able to do so with the help of NCP leader and Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar, who had apparently revolted.
However, Fadnavis's second term in office lasted just 80 days. The Supreme Court ordered an immediate floor test in Maharashtra and Ajit Pawar pulled a second about-turn, ditching Fadnavis and returning to the Pawar clan.
This forced Devendra Fadnavis to step down as well and paved the way for Thursday's grand ceremony at Shivaji Park, Mumbai, where Uddhav Thackeray took oath as the 18th chief minister of Maharashtra.
Uddhav Bal Thackeray was sworn-in as the 18th chief minister of Maharashtra Thursday evening, bringing an end to days and weeks of political instability and stunning turnarounds in the state's politics. Clad in a saffron kurta, Uddhav Thackeray took oath at Mumbai's iconic Shivaji Park, a playground that is as synonymous with the Shiv Sena as it is with Indian cricket.
The 59-year-old Uddhav Thackeray is the first of his family to be the chief minister of Maharashtra. His father Bal Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena over five decades ago. Since then, the party has been an active player in Maharashtra politics and has even had two of its leaders become chief minister. But, a Thackeray has never become chief minister.
On Thursday, Uddhav Thackeray took the oath, propped up by the support of two unlikely allies -- Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and the Indian Nationalist Congress. Six leaders -- Sena's Eknath Shinde and Subash Desai, NCP's Jayant Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal and Congress's Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin Raut -- took oath along with Uddhav.
The oath-taking ceremony took place at Mumbai's Shivaji Park in front of thousands of people. In attendance were billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his family, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav's estranged cousin Raj Thackeray and other top leaders from the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance.