Sonia Gandhi May Attend Uddhav Thackeray’s Swearing-In As Maharashtra CM

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been invited for the swearing-in ceremony of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as Maharashtra chief minister on November 28, senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde told news agency ANI. Although there has been no confirmation from the Congress party about Sonia Gandhi’s attendance, there is a strong buzz that she may attend the swearing-in ceremony of the ‘Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi’ coalition leader.

"We have invited Sonia Gandhi for the swearing-in ceremony of Uddhav Thackeray tomorrow," Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena was quoted as saying by ANI.

On Tuesday, Uddhav Thackeray was chosen as the leader and chief ministerial candidate of the 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' alliance comprising the Shiv Sena, the Congress and the NCP. The resolution proposing Uddhav Thackeray's name as the CM candidate and leader of the alliance was passed unanimously by all MLAs during a joint meeting of the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress.

The representatives of the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP alliance will now meet the Governor and stake claim to form the government. The swearing-in ceremony of Uddhav Thackeray will be held on November 28 at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, said Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat.

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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.

Uddhav will be the first member of Thackeray family to occupy the top political post in the state. The development has come hours after three-day-old Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis resigned from the post following a Surpeme Court order asking him to prove majority within 24 hours.