I will take oath as state minister today: Jayant Patil

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jayant Patil on Thursday said that he will be taking an oath as a state minister today at Shivaji Park here.

"I am going to take oath as a minister," said Patil. When asked if he will be the Deputy Chief Minister, Patil said "That has not been decided yet, I don't know."

Along with Patil NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal is also likely to take oath as state minister today at Shivaji Park when Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be sworn-in as 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, hoardings welcoming the new government in Maharashtra and party flags of Shiv Sena and Congress were put up on the stretch from Dadar TT to Shivaji Park.

Thackeray's oath-taking follows weeks of political uncertainty and changing political equations with NCP chief Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit supporting BJP and being sworn-in as the deputy chief minister.

Last week, BJP's Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit were sworn-in as chief minister and deputy chief minister. The duo stepped down from their posts on Monday evening after the Supreme Court ordered a floor test in the 288-member Assembly the next day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his predecessor Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and about 400 farmers from various districts are among the people who have been invited for the oath-taking ceremony scheduled to be held at 6:40 pm.

On Tuesday, Thackeray was unanimously elected as the leader of the tri-party alliance.Soon after the October 24 results, Shiv Sena demanded rotation of the chief minister's post and equal power-sharing in the NDA government, something rejected by the ally BJP. The weeks of political stalemate led to the imposition of President's rule on November 13.

Firm on its demands, Sena, the second-largest party in the state, did not hesitate to cobble up with the ideological opponents -- NCP and Congress -- and was given the chief minister's post.