Uddhav may now attend Fadnavis' swearing-in ceremony

Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray may today attend the swearing-in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra Chief Minister.

BJP chief Amit Shah and Chief Minister designate Devendra Fadnavis had a telephonic conversation with the Shiv Sena chief and invited him for the event to be held at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium.

"Amit Shah ji has invited him over the phone. They had been our friends for the last 25 years. So, he (Uddhav Thackeray) is coming," said BJP leader Atul Shah.

Reports earlier suggested that Uddhav was likely to skip the swearing-in ceremony as he was upset over the Shiv Sena not finding a place in the government.

BJP general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who is the in-charge for Maharashtra, had earlier on Thursday said talks were still on with the Shiv Sena, but it was unlikely that its members would be sworn-in today.

"Talks with Shiv Sena going on very amicably. No outcome yet. Seems unlikely Shiv Sena will be part of government as of now," he said on twitter.

It may be recalled that the BJP and Shiv Sena snapped their 25-year alliance in September prior to the Assembly elections over disagreement on seat sharing.

Fadnavis will take oath as the 27th Chief Minister of Maharashtra at a grand function in the Wankhede Stadium later this evening. He will be the first member from the BJP to head the state government.

44-year-old Fadnavis, a four-term MLA from Nagpur, will be administered the oath of office by Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and BJP chief Amit Shah.

A small Cabinet of around ten ministers is expected to be sworn-in on the occasion, which will be attended by several central ministers, including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, corporate leaders, Bollywood stars and other celebrities.

The BJP had emerged as the single largest party in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly with 122 seats, but one of its MLAs Govind Rathod died. The Shiv Sena finished second with 63 seats. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which emerged victorious in 41 seats, has offered the BJP 'external support' to form the government in the state.