Uddhav Thackeray is poised to be the next chief minister of Maharashtra at the head of a coalition of contrasts like the Shiv Sena, Congress and the NCP, whose unlikely realignment can be expected to have wider political implications.

Uddhav had been unwilling to assume the hot seat, preferring the role of guide and mentor his father Bal Thackeray had mastered.

But Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar set his ascendance to chief minister almost as a condition, contending the government would lack political heft without his leadership. He was told the proposal to rotate the chief minister’s post would be shelved if he agreed to head the government.

The Sena anyway has no other leader of stature, while the Congress boasts former chief ministers Prithviraj Chavan and Ashok Chavan and the NCP has former deputy chief ministers Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal.

Uddhav had told Sena MLAs in the morning that he was not aiming to gain power for himself and only wanted the post to go to a Shiv Sainik.

But the joint meeting would leave him no room for refusal, with the Congress and the NCP insisting that his presence alone could provide stability to a coalition that faces a challenge of acceptability.

Only after Uddhav agreed did the negotiations move on to lesser issues, which were resolved without any fuss. The common minimum programme and the choice of ministers and portfolios were decided but the formal announcement is expected to be made on Saturday.

Prithviraj Chavan did not name the prospective chief minister at the formal news conference, but Pawar had already done so as he stepped out of the coalition meeting.

“The government will be headed by Uddhav Thackeray. That issue was not before us. It was decided well in advance that Uddhav will head the government,” Pawar said.

Chavan later told reporters: “We have reached a consensus on most issues but the talks will continue tomorrow. All the details will be announced tomorrow.”

Told about Pawar’s announcement, Chavan said: “You have heard him, that is on record.”

It’s possible that a formal announcement of the chief minister’s name has been withheld only because Uddhav had told his MLAs he would not accept the top job. Now the Sena will inform the MLAs about the insistence of the Congress and the NCP and seek an endorsement.

Born on July 27, 1960, Uddhav graduated from Mumbai’s JJ Arts College and got passionately involved in wildlife photography.

While his cousin Raj Thackeray was seen as the natural heir to Bal Thackeray’s legacy, Uddhav was not only reluctant to join his father, he was viewed as unfit for the rough and tumble of mass politics.

But the father decided to promote the son at a very late stage when Raj had already established himself as the second-in-command. Uddhav was appointed Shiv Sena chief in 2004, leading to differences with Raj who walked out and formed his own party in 2006.

Keen observers of Maharashtra politics sometimes compare Uddhav and Raj with Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi, respectively, both in terms of their personality and early inclination for politics.

Like Rajiv, Uddhav was uninterested in joining politics as a young man and came off as much quieter than his firebrand cousin, who led the Sena’s violent campaign against “outsiders”.

Senior Sena leaders were supportive of Uddhav because they found it difficult to get along with the abrasive Raj.

Political commentators initially wrote Uddhav off but he slowly consolidated his position although the party lost a lot of political ground to a resurgent BJP in the state.

More important, Uddhav edged the Sena towards a more moderate path — one that was less violent and less communal — trying to free the plank of Marathi pride of anti-outsider hooliganism.

Now, in coalition with the Congress and the NCP, he may prefer to further moderate the Sena’s politics to try and shed the party’s image as a bigoted outfit.