Aaditya Thackeray Takes Oath As Minister As Maharashtra Cabinet Expands

Aaditya Thackeray, who became the first member of his family to take poll plunge and was on Monday sworn in as minister in the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance government led by his father, is expected to play a more important role in the government and party.

The 29-year-old won the October 21 Assembly polls with a thumping majority from Mumbai’s Worli constituency.

The Yuva Sena leader is now likely to make his party, which was rooted in the ‘sons of the soil’ agenda and later embraced the Hindutva ideology, more inclusive and broad-based.

In run up to the polls, he conducted several roadshows, foot marches and raised issues like cutting of trees in Aarey Colony and Mumbai’s nightlife and said he wants to make the constituency a “model of development”.

He also reached out to non-Marathi voters in the constituency to romp home a big win.

Besides Pawar, former Maharashtra chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan also took oath as Cabinet minister in the Thackeray-led government on Monday.

NCP leader and former Assembly speaker Dilip Walse Patil, former leader of opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde and former LoP in Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar were also sworn in.

Governor B S Koshyari administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers in the Vidhan Bhavan (state legislature) complex.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar were among those present at the swearing-in ceremony.