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Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray greets his supporters after swearing-in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Thursday. (PTI)[/caption]
Mumbai, Nov. 28 (PTI): Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday took oath as the 18th chief minister of Maharashtra.
Thackeray, 59, became the third Sena leader after Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane to occupy the top post.
Thackeray took over as chief minister over a month after results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections were declared on October 24.
Eknath Shinde, Subhash Desai (both Shiv Sena), Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal (both NCP), Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin Raut (both Congress) were sworn in as ministers.
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered oath to Thackeray and the six ministers at the ceremony held 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, MNS chief Raj Thackeray and DMK leader MK Stalin.
Former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, his cousin and MP Supriya Sule, Uddhav Thackeray's wife Rashmi, his MLA-son Aaditya and industrialist Mukesh Ambani's wife Nita were also among those who attended the ceremony.
The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress formed the government after the Thackeray-led party fell out with pre-poll ally BJP over sharing the chief ministerial post.
The Assembly election was held on October 21 and its result was declared on October 24.
The BJP emerged as the single largest party winning 105 seats. The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress won 56, 54 and 44 seats respectively in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.
Thursday's swearing in ceremony follows days of dramatic political developments, which included a three-day government formed by unexpected support from NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who has since returned to the Sharad Pawar-led party fold.
There was speculation that Ajit Pawar would be sworn in as deputy chief minister on Thursday but only two NCP ministers took oath at the ceremony.
A special session of the 14th state Assembly was held here on Wednesday where oath was administered to 285 newly- elected members by pro tem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar who was appointed to the post by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
In terms of number of terms, Thackeray will be the 29th chief minister of the state.
Maha coalition in extraordinary circumstances when political atmosphere is poisonous — Sonia
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 has become poisonous.
Rahul Gandhi, in a separate letter, also expressed confidence that the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition will provide "a stable, secular and pro-poor government".
He said the three parties have come together to defeat the BJP's attempt to undermine democracy and the people of Maharashtra have high expectations from the coalition.
In a letter to Uddhav Thackeray, Sonia Gandhi while congratulating him on becoming the chief minister of Maharashtra, hoped the new government will fulfil the hopes and expectations of the people of Maharashtra.
She also expressed her regrets for not being able to attend the swearing-in at Shivaji Park where Thackeray was sworn in along with others.
She said the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress have come together under "quite extraordinary circumstances at a time when the country faces unprecedented threats from the BJP".
"The political atmosphere has become poisonous and the economy has collapsed, farmers are facing great distress. The Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress have agreed to a common minimum programme and I am confident that all three parties will strive their utmost to implement that programme in letter and spirit," the Congress president said.
"The people of Maharashtra expect the alliance to provide cohesive, purposeful, responsible, responsive and transparent administration and our collective effort will undoubtedly be to ensure that these expectations are fulfilled," she said.
Her comments come in the wake of serious differences within the Congress over aligning with the Shiv Sena and forming a government with the right-leaning outfit.
Rahul Gandhi also noted that the events leading up to the government formation in Maharashtra have set a "dangerous precedent for our democracy".
"I am glad that the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi has come together to defeat the BJP's attempt to undermine our democracy. The people of Maharashtra have high expectations from the coalition and I am confident it will provide them a stable, secular and pro-poor government," Rahul Gandhi said.
Uddhav Thackeray takes over as chief minister of Maharashtra at a function in the Shivaji maidan in Mumbai after the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP decided to come together and form a government in Maharashtra under a common minimum programme.
