Uddhav Thackeray holds first cabinet meeting in Maharashtra

Mumbai : Uddhav Thackeray took oath as the new chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening at the Shivaji Park where his father has given his first Dussehra rally to announce the birth of the Shiv Sena in 1966. Six other ministers were sworn in by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari as the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-Congress alliance, or Maha Vikas Aghadi, formally took power.

Soon after the oath, Uddhav Thackeray held the first meeting of the new cabinet. "I want to assure the people of the state that we will give a good government. I want to help the farmers in a manner which will make them happy," he said after the cabinet meeting.

During the oath ceremony, Industrialist Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita Ambani and son Anant were on the stage. Raj Thackeray was also present on the stage.

Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also took part in the oath-taking ceremony.

It has been learned that Ajit Pawar, who had joined hands with BJP to form the government last week, has been given the Deputy CM post again, but he will be taking oath at a later stage.

In a sign of changing times for the Sena, its flags shared space with flags of the NCP and Congress at the Shivaji Park, the venue for many Sena milestones.

Uddhav Thackeray had on Wednesday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the oath ceremony. PM Modi didn't attend but tweeted congratulations.

None of the Congress big three attended the function either, but they wrote to the Sena Chief. Aaditya Thackeray flew to Delhi to invite Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi.