Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray invites PM Modi for oath taking ceremony

In what came out as a major surprise amidst the political chaos in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray, who is all set to take oath as the Maharashtra CM, spoke to the Prime Minister over the phone and invited him for the ceremony, 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. According to sources, he will be taking oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday at Shivaji Park at 6.40 PM.

Aaditya Thackeray invited Sonia Gandhi

Apart from inviting the Prime Minister, it has also surfaced that 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 and are expected to be present at Thackeray's swearing-in ceremony. On Tuesday, Thackeray was unanimously elected as the leader of the tri-party alliance.

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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, in an attempt to establish a stable government in the State, had asked the Fadnavis government to prove its majority in the 288-member Assembly before 5 PM on Wednesday.

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Earlier, amidst the ongoing political events in the State, both Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar took oath as the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively, on Saturday morning, nixing Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP's bid to form government in the State. The move had come out as a shocker to the public and the government alike. 

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(With ANI Inputs)