A special session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly began on Wednesday morning to administer the oath to members in the 288-member House.
Pro tem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar is administering the oath to the legislators at the session.
In the House, pro tem Speaker Kalidas Kolambar announced Babanrao Pachpute, Vijaykumar Gavit and Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil as the presiding officers for administering oath of the members.
NCP leaders Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Congress leaders and former chief ministers Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj and former speakers Dilip Walse Patil (NCP) and Haribhau Bagade (BJP) were among the members to take oath early.
Presiding officers Pachpute and Gavit were the first to take oath followed by caretaker chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Ajit Pawar was greeted with thumping of desks from NCP members when he went to the podiumto take oath.
Newly-elected Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray was congratulated by members cutting across party lines.
The 29-year-old son of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray went up to all senior members to greet them.
All the 287 newly-elected legislators of different political parties and Independents trooped down to the Vidhan Bhavan.
They were warmly welcomed with smiles and handshakes by Shiv Sena MLA Aditya Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule-Pawar, several Congress leaders, irrespective of the parties they belonged to, as they entered the Vidhan Bhavan.
The sulking former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar created a flutter when he arrived with a wide grin, was greeted by his cousin Supriya Sule and then he gave her a warm hug as the cameras went into a frenzy.
She also greeted former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with warmth and folded hands, touched him on the shoulder as he proceeded with a smile -- a never-before witnessed camaraderie among political stalwarts.
Supriya Sule also received former Speaker and senior BJP leader Haribhau Bagade and other leaders with warmth, presenting a relaxed atmosphere, in sharp contrast to the tension-filled political turbulence of the past one month.
Chief Minister-designate Uddhav Thackeray will pay a courtesy call on Governor B.S. Koshyari at Raj Bhavan before arriving at the Vidhan Bhavan to meet the legislators.
Uddhav Thackeray was unanimously elected the leader of the Maha Vikas Aghadi for Chief Minister's post by the top leaders of the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress.
(With agency inputs)
