Mumbai : Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who decided to not celebrate his 61st birthday on Tuesday due to floods in some districts of Maharashtra and the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, is expected to spend a low-key day amid official engagements. The Shiv Sena chief received birthday wishes from various leaders from across party lines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also greeted Thackeray.

This is the second birthday since Thackeray took over the reins of the state that he has spent in a low-key manner.

On Tuesday, PM Modi tweeted, “Birthday greetings to Maharashtra CM Shri Uddhav Thackeray Ji. May he be blessed with a long and healthy life. @OfficeofUT.”

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis wished Thackeray on Twitter. Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Dharmendra Pradhan also greeted Thackeray.

Thackeray had appealed to his followers and party members to not celebrate his birthday as a spate of disasters including landslides and floods have killed over 120 people in parts of western Maharashtra and the Konkan region of the state. He appealed to the people to contribute to the CM Relief Fund for rehabilitation of people in flood-affected areas.

A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said, “Nature has unleashed its fury over Konkan and western Maharashtra. Many people have died due to floods, many families have been affected. Maharashtra is mourning this calamity. Although July 27 is the birthday of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, he has decided not to celebrate it due to these calamities.”

To celebrate the party chief’s birthday, the Shiv Sena is engaged in relief activities in flood-affected areas of Raigad, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Satara and Sangli. The party is sending relief materials including food grains, food packets, water bottles, blankets, etc. to the affected areas in the Konkan region.