Maharashtra government formation: Chhagan Bhujbal, Jayant Patil, Balasaheb Thorat likely to take oath as ministers

NCP leaders Chhagan Bhujbal and Jayant Patil and Maharashtra Congress unit chief Balasaheb Thorat are likely to take oath as state ministerson Thursday, sources in the two parties said.

The deputy chief minister's post may go to NCP MLA Ajit Pawar, they said.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will be sworn in as chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening at a ceremony to be held at the Shivaji Park in Dadar area here.

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NCP leader Praful Patel on Wednesday said one or two MLAs each from his party, the Shiv Sena and the Congress will be sworn in as ministers at the ceremony.

"Bhujbal and Patil are expected to be sworn in as ministers from the NCP. Ajit Dada is likely to be the deputy CM. But, he is unlikely to take oath today," a source in the NCP said.

"Thorat is also expected to take oath today," a Congress source said.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan could be the second leader from the Congress to be sworn in as minister on Thursday. "But, a decision on this will be taken in a few hours," the source said.

Names of Ashok Chavan and another former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan are doing the rounds for the post of Assembly Speaker.

The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress have come together under the front called 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' to form government in the state.

The BJP and the Sena, which fought the last month's Assembly polls in an alliance, secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively.

The Sena, however, broke its three-decade-long ties with the BJP after the latter declined to share the chief minister's post.

The NCP and Congress won 54 and 44 seats respectively.