Uddhav Thackeray may become Maharashtra’s chief minister

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, November 10

The Nationalist Congress Party is pitching for Uddhav Thackeray as the next chief minister as a condition for extending support, according to sources here.

The party is also demanding that Arvind Sawant, the Shiv Sena’s minister in the Narendra Modi government, resign.

Under the plan prepared by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Thackeray would take over as chief minister with Jayant Patil or Ajit Pawar of the NCP becoming his deputy.

The Congress party too may have a deputy chief minister in case it joins the government.

The Congress is also being wooed with the sop of speakership in the state assembly, according to sources.

Uddhav Thackeray has never contested an election and is not a member of either of the Houses of the state legislature.

His son Aaditya became the first member of the Thackeray family to contest an election when he won from the Worli assembly constituency last month.

Shiv Sena sources say Uddhav Thackeray may choose to contest an election after getting one of the party’s MLAs to resign from the assembly.

It is still not clear whether his son Aaditya will resign
from the Worli seat to pave way for Uddhav.

Shortly after the Governor invited the Shiv Sena to form the government, NCP spokesman Nawab Malik told reporters that the regional party will have to first come out of the NDA.

“The Shiv Sena’s minister in the Narendra Modi will have to resign and the party will have to leave the NDA in order for us to extend support to it,” Malik said.