After Manohar Joshi, Narayan Rane, Sena to get 3rd CM

Mumbai: With Devendra Fadnavis resigning as Maharashtra Chief Minister, Shiv Sena will get its third Chief Minister in the state: Uddhav Thackeray. The path for Uddhav Thackeray became clear after the four-day-old BJP government led by Devendra Fadnavis resigned, a day before the crucial floor test in the 288-member House.

Before Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar submitted his resignation to him.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court passed an interim order calling for a floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday after considering the competing claims of the parties.

The Supreme Court gave its verdict on a joint petition filed by Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena against the decision of Governor B.S. Koshyari to invite the BJP to form a government in Maharashtra. The top court also said that during the impending floor test, there will be no secret ballot, that the entire process has to be completed before 5 p.m. and the proceeding would be telecast live.

The Shiv Sena, which had joined hands with the BJP in Maharashtra in 1989, got the first success in 1995 assembly polls after the two parties won 73 and 65 seats respectively, paving the way for the Shiv Sena's first Chief Minister. Following the victory in the assembly polls, Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray's close aide Manohar Joshi was made the Chief Minister, as the party was "elder brother" for the BJP in the state.

But three years later, Joshi had to resign following charges of corruption. Following his resignation, Shiv Sena appointed another family close aide Narayan Rane to the top post.

However, the 30-year-old alliance of the BJP and Shiv Sena came to an end after Uddhav Thackeray demanded a rotational chief minister arrangement in the state, a demand rejected by the saffron party.

The Shiv Sena then engaged in talks with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and the Congress to forge an alliance in the state.

The BJP had won 105 out of 288 seats in the state while the Shiv Sena emerged as the second biggest party bagging 56 seats. The NCP and the Congress won 54 and 44 seats respectively.

According to party leaders, Uddhav Thackeray will take oath as Chief Minister on Wednesday.