CM Thackeray Misses Day 1 of Maharashtra Assembly session; Fuels Health Rumors

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has been attending cabinet meetings via video.

(Photo: Edited by Erum Gour/The Quint)

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray missed the first day of the Maharashtra Assembly session on Wednesday, 22 December, giving rise to intense speculations about his health. The 61-year-old CM, who recently had cervical spine surgery, attended the meeting virtually.

His son and state minister Aaditya Thackeray abated these rumours and told reporters, "The Chief Minister's condition is fine. I have spoken to him on the phone. He will come whenever he wants to."

Reacting to the same, former Maharashtra CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said, "If Chief Minister's (Uddhav Thackeray) health is not fine and he can't come to the State Assembly, we don't have any objection. But if he is fine, then he should come...the work should not stop, or else it should be divided," reported ANI.

The Chief Minister had made his first public appearance post-surgery at Vidhan Bhavan. Since then, he has been attending cabinet meetings via video.

In a meeting with Shiv Sena MPs after the closing of the Winter Session of the Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also expressed concern over the Chief Minister's health.

Reacting to the Chief Minister's absence, BJP's Maharashtra chief Chandrakant Patil called it "inappropriate" for a Chief Minister to miss the opening day of the Assembly.

According to the NDTV report, he said, "If the Chief Minister is unable to attend the winter session, then he should designate someone to carry out business."

(With inputs from NDTV.)