Maharashtra Govt Formation: NCP To Get Deputy CM Portfolio, Speaker From Congress

The Maha Vikas Aghadi late on Wednesday decided that the coveted post of Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly will go to the Congress and Deputy Chief Minister's post will be held by the Nationalist Congress Party.

The announcement regarding the same was made by NCP leader Praful Patel. (Image: PTI)

Mumbai: After hours long meeting of the Maha Vikas Aghadi on Wednesday evening which included Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and leaders from the Congress party, it was decided that the coveted post of Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly will go to the Congress whereas the Deputy Chief Minister's post will be held by the NCP. The announcement regarding the same was made by NCP leader Praful Patel after he came out of the meeting and spoke to reporters. Patel also said that it is still not decided that how many ministers will take oath with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray tomorrow. Additionally, the post of Deputy Speaker will also go to the NCP, he said. As per current information, there will be only post of Deputy CM in the new government. "How many ministers will take oath will be decided tonight. 1 or 2 MLAs from each party will take oath as ministers. Speaker has been decided by all three parties, Speaker will be from Congress and Deputy Speaker from NCP," he said. "Besides, one or two legislators from NCP and Congress will take oath as ministers along with Chief Minister-designate Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday evening," Patel said. Senior Congress Ahmed Patel, however, said that the exact number of legislators who will be sworn-in from different will be decided later tonight and the complete picture will emerge on Thursday morning. The leaders were speaking with the media after emerging from a two-hour long meeting of Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress attended by Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Ahmed Patel and other senior leaders of the three parties. They met ahead of the oath ceremony to hammer out the issue of portfolios and details of the legislators from their respective parties who would be sworn-in along with Thackeray. Elaborate arrangements are being made for the much-hyped swearing-in of Uddhav Thackeray who would be the first ever politician from his family to take oath as the chief minister.  More than 500 farmers from different parts of Maharashtra will be invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Apart from farmers, political dignitaries from all parties in Maharashtra and rest of India, celebrities from the film and glamour world, industrialists, sports personalities and prominent achievers in different fields will also attend the event. Some of the prominent personalities likely to make their presence felt include several top Congress leaders, some parties of the ruling National Democratic Alliance, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray, Chief Ministers of various states like West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Bihar, etc. Official sources reveal that top dignitaries like Chief Justice and judges of Bombay High Court, top police, civil and defence officials, diplomatic corps and other high-ranking government officials would also attend the swearing-in ceremony. This is for the first time in the state that a second swearing-in ceremony of a Chief Minister -- of a different alliance government -- within a gap of five days, will be held. At the crack of dawn last Saturday (November 23), a two-member government comprising Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was sworn-in, leaving the state and country in a daze. However, that government barely completed 80 hours in office, paving the way for the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance government headed by Thackeray to stake its claim to power, and finally invited to take the oath of office on November 28. (With inputs from IANS)