Thackeray to lead Sena-NCP-Cong government

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress on Tuesday cleared the decks for Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to become Maharashtra's new Chief Minister.

The parties formalised their alliance as Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) before endorsing Thackeray to take over the top job in the state.

In his acceptance speech, Thackeray said addressing the plight of farmers would be his top priority. "I humbly accept the responsibility given by you.

Together, we will wipe off the tears of farmers in the state," he said.

Thackeray also thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her party's support. "I had never dreamed of leading the state. I would like to thank Sonia Gandhi and others. We are giving a new direction to country by keeping faith on each other."

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said three alliance members would meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari later to stake claim to form the government.

"Three representatives of 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' will meet the Governor. Swearing in ceremony to be held at Shivaji Park, Mumbai on December 1," Pawar said.

NCP Maharashtra chief Jayant Patil proposed the name of Thackeray to head the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and take over as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Congress legislator Balasaheb Thorat seconded the proposal.

Earlier, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde moved a resolution to form the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. NCP's Nawab Malik and Congress' Nitin Raut seconded it at the meeting of the three parties at a Mumbai hotel.

NCP workers raised slogans calling party chief Sharad Pawar as "the only one tiger in Maharashtra" when he arrived at Trident Hotel with his daughter Supriya Sule for the tri-partite meeting.

Ahead of the meeting, Malik said that Pawar has conveyed his desire to have Uddhav Thackeray as the Chief Minister.

The meeting began hours after resignation after BJP's Devendra Fadnavis who quit as Chief Minister on the fourth day of his second term.

Fadnavis chose not to face a floor test that the Supreme Court had ordered for Wednesday.

Ahead of Fadnavis' resignation, his deputy Ajit Pawar of the NCP had also resigned that effectively torpedoed the BJP's hopes of winning a trust vote.