Uddhav Stakes Claim To Form 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' Govt, To Be First CM From Thackeray Family

Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine's Chief Ministerial nominee Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday night reached Raj Bhavan and staked claim to form government in Maharashtra. Leaders of the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress elected Uddhav Thackeray as their nominee for the chief minister's post at a meeting in Mumbai, hours after four-day-old BJP government led by Devendra Fadnavis and supported by NCP's Ajit Pawar collapsed.

Uddhav Thackeray will be the first member of the Thackeray family to become Maharashtra chief minister.

"We are submitting a joint statement of staking claim for government formation before the governor. We will also produce proof of the support of all the MLAs of the three parties to the governor as a part of the mandatory procedure," said the leader. 

Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil proposed Thackeray's name as "the (next) chief minister". State Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat seconded the proposal.

The meeting was attended by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, senior party leader Praful Patel, Congress leader Ashok Chavan, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana's Raju Shetti, Samajwadi Party's Abu Azmi, MLAs of all these parties and others. The three parties named their alliance as 'Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi'.