Uddhav Thackeray to be sworn in as Maharashtra’s 18th Chief Minister

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will take oath this evening at a grand ceremony at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, becoming Maharashtra’s 18th Chief Minister.

A first for the Thackeray family

He will be the first member of the Thackeray family to hold the post, and only the third from the Shiv Sena to occupy the office, following Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane. Thackeray will head a Maha Vikas Aghadi government, a coalition of the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress. On Tuesday, the three parties unanimously chose him as leader of their alliance.

Guests at the ceremony

The ceremony is set for 6:40 pm. Those invited include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and around 400 farmers from different districts. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath are also due to attend.

Weeks of uncertainty

The swearing-in ends weeks of political flux. After the results on October 24, the Shiv Sena demanded that the chief minister’s post be rotated and that power be shared equally within the NDA, which its ally the BJP refused. The deadlock led to President’s rule being imposed on November 13. The Sena, which finished second in the state, then joined hands with its ideological rivals, the NCP and the Congress, and secured the top post. In the election, the BJP had won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, the NCP 54 and the Congress 44.

In between, NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar backed the BJP, and on Saturday morning Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar unexpectedly took oath as the state’s top two office-holders. Both quit after the Supreme Court directed that a floor test be held in the 288-member Assembly.

Originally published on 28 November 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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