KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been invited to the swearing-in of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as the new chief minister of Maharashtra , sources at the CMO here said on Wednesday.

The invitation to Banerjee, who is a staunch critic of the BJP, for the Thursday oath taking reached the CMO Wednesday afternoon, they said.

Whether Banerjee will be in Mumbai for the swearing-in is yet to be confirmed, the sources said.

Thackeray will be sworn in as the 17th chief minister of Maharashtra at a grand ceremony at the Shivaji Park in Dadar in central Mumbai on Thursday evening, a month after the results of the Assembly polls were announced due to a slew political developments in the state.

The state had been under President's Rule for 13 days between November 12 and 23 after no political party was able to form a government.

The BJP-led government, which was formed with the support of NCP leader Ajit Pawar on November 23, collapsed on Tuesday afternoon when Devendra Fadnavis stepped down as chief minister.

The NCP has announced that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray would be the next chief minister of Maharashtra.

