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Rediff.com  » News » Welcome hug for Ajit Pawar as Maha MLAs take oath

Welcome hug for Ajit Pawar as Maha MLAs take oath

Source: PTI
Last updated on: November 27, 2019 15:57 IST
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A special session of the 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly was held in Mumbai on Wednesday where oath was administered to 285 newly-elected members.

IMAGE: Cousins reunite! Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar share a close hug at the assembly. Photograph: Sahil Salvi/Rediff.com

In the 288-member House, two members -- Sudhir Mungantiwar of the Bharatiya Janata party and Devendra Bhuyar (Swabhimani Paksh) -- did not take oath on Wednesday, a Vidhan Bhavan official said.

Protem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar took oath on Tuesday after being appointed to the post by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

IMAGE: Supriya Sule welcomes Sena's Aaditya Thackeray. Thackeray is the first from his family to have run for elections and won from the Worli assembly. Photograph: Sahil Salvi/Rediff.com

Two members -- Mahesh Baldi (Independent), Mohammed Ismail (AIMIM) -- were administered oath in the Speaker's chamber on Wednesday as they arrived after the House was adjourned, said legislature secretary Rajendra Bhagwat.

Ismail arrived late as he got stuck in traffic, while Baldi, the MLA from Uran in neighbouring Raigad district, was held up as the ferry boat which he boarded to reach Mumbai from Alibaug, broke down, he said.

IMAGE: Sule was all smiles as she welcomed Fadnavis to the assembly. May be it was a message of let bygone be bygones. Photograph: Sahil Salvi/Rediff.com

Bhagwat said a decision on the date for Speaker's election will be taken after the Cabinet meeting, following the swearing-in of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister on Thursday.

However, sources in the Congress said the election for the Speaker's post will be held on November 30.

WATCH: NCP's Supriya Sule welcomes cousin Ajit Pawar

Earlier in the morning, Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule greeted party MLAs Ajit Pawar and Rohit Pawar at Vidhan Bhawan entrance before the commencement of the session.

"This day comes with a big responsibility," she told reporters.

IMAGE: Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan takes the oath. Photograph: ANI/Twitter

In the House, Kolambar announced Babanrao Pachpute, Vijaykumar Gavit and Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil as the presiding officers for administering oath of the members.

Names of members were called out on the basis of seniority.

IMAGE: With a hug, Sule welcomes Dhananjay Munde, considered to be very close to Ajit Pawar. Photograph: Sahil Salvi/Rediff.com

Presiding officers Pachpute and Gavit were the first to take oath followed by caretaker chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

NCP's Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal, Congress leaders and former chief ministers Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan, and former speakers Dilip Walse Patil (NCP) and Haribhau Bagade (BJP) were among the members who took oath early.

IMAGE: NCP MLA Sunil Tatkare along with his children, duo MLA Aditi Tatkare and Aniket Tatkare arrives at Maharashtra Vidhan Bhawan. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo

Ajit Pawar was greeted with thumping of desks from NCP members when he went to the podium to take oath.

Newly-elected Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray, who made his electoral debut by winning from Worli seat in Mumbai, was congratulated by members cutting across party lines.

The 29-year-old son of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray went up to all senior members to greet them.

IMAGE: Chhagan Bhujbal makes his way inside the Maharashtra assembly. Photograph: Sahil Salvi/Rediff.com

Dhiraj Deshmukh (Congress) and Rohit Pawar (NCP) were also among the newcomers who took oath.

The newly-elected members could not take oath earlier even one month after the results of the assembly polls were announced due to dramatic political developments in the state.

IMAGE: NCP leader Supriya Sule welcomes party's newly-elected MLA Rohit Pawar at Maharashtra Vidhan Bhawan. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo

The state remained under President's rule for 13 days between November 12 and 23 after no political party was able to form a government.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Koshyari to appoint a protem speaker and ensure all elected members of the House are sworn in on Wednesday itself by 5 pm.

The BJP-led government, which was formed with the support of NCP leader Ajit Pawar on November 23, collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, after Pawar stepped down as deputy chief minister and Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister.

IMAGE: All 288 MLAs will take oath in the assembly. Photograph: ANI/Twitter

The 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' comprising the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress, on Monday submitted a letter claiming support of 162 MLAs to the governor.

The NCP has announced that Uddhav Thackeray would be the next chief minister of Maharashtra.

He will be sworn in CM on Thursday evening at Shivaji Park in Dadar, the place where his party holds the traditional Dussehra rally each year.

Thackeray is currently not a member of any House in the state legislature.

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