Uddhav Thackeray stakes claim to form govt in Maharashtra

Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine’s Chief Ministerial candidate Uddhav Thackeray staked claim to form government in Maharashtra.

Having been elected as the common nominee of the three parties for the top post, Uddhav Thackeray last night reached Raj Bhavan to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and staked claim for the “Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi”.

A senior Sena leader, who met the governor along with leaders of the Congress and the NCP, said Thackeray will take oath as the chief minister at 6:40 PM tomorrow at the Shivaji Park in Dadar. Earlier, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had announced at a joint meeting of the three parties that swearing-in of the new government will take place on 1st of December, but the schedule was apparently changed late last night.

According to a statement by Raj Bhavan, the Governor, in a letter addressed to Uddhav Thackeray, said he has noted that Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi has won 166 number of elected members. It further added that since Uddhav Thackeray is not a member of Maharashtra legislature, he will have to become a member within six months after taking oath as the Chief Minister.

Media correspondent reports that the decision to elect Uddhav Thackeray as nominee for Chief Minister’s post was taken at a joint meeting of the three parties at a suburban hotel in Mumbai yesterday, hours after the four-day-old BJP government led by Devendra Fadnavis and supported by NCP’s Ajit Pawar collapsed.

The leaders of the three parties submitted a letter claiming support of 166 MLAs to the governor. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has called a special session of the legislative assembly today where the newly-appointed pro-tem speaker Kalidas Kolambkar will administer the oath to the 288 MLAs.