Uddhav Thackeray arrived with his family, looking very happy and head high at Shivaji Park. The stage was all set with flowers and the backdrop of a theme depicting the historic “Shivrajyabhishek” — the crowning of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj — and a large picture of Maharashtra Legislature building, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari took a lead to swear-in Shiv Sena President and Maha Vikas Aghadi leader Uddhav Thackeray as the new Chief Minister, at the historic Shivaji Park, Dadar West.
Under the baton of veteran Bollywood art director Nitin Desai, an army of around 1,000 workmen and designers are working furiously since Wednesday evening to ensure the ‘Shivrajyabhishek’ set in colourful splendor was completed at 3 pm, as also a massive stage measuring around 8,000 square feet with a seating capacity of around 300.
The government and Shiv Sena have ordered over 40,000 chairs to accommodate the invited guests close to the stage, and the remaining expected over 3,00,000 activists of the Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress covered the rest of the ground at Shivaji Park. The Mumbai Police implemented massive traffic restrictions due heavy VVIP movements for the swearing-in ceremony. Among the dignitaries invited include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi, but they failed to attend the ceremony. Leaders of all national parties, Chief Ministers of many opposition states, members of the judiciary, civil, police and defence officials, diplomatic corps stationed in Mumbai, films and sports personalities, industrialists, celebs and more than 500 farmers and farm widows, to witness the oath ceremony.
On the other hand, Ajit Pawar’s supporters put up posters claiming him to be future Maharashtra CM. Poster stated, “Let us decide now what you should or should not do. Whole Maharashtra is looking towards you as a future Chief Minister”. Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar resigned from their posts merely three days after they took oath in controversial turn of events. Later after the move, Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress met the Governor and staked claimed to form the government in Maharashtra. Following the incident, the Governor announced that Uddhav Thackeray would take oath on November 28 as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
