Eknath Shinde: Journey of Maharashtra’s next Chief Minister

CHENNAI: Eknath Shinde, a Shiv Sena renegade, will succeed as the chief minister of Maharashtra, BJP's Devendra Fadnavis announced on Thursday. The bombshell was the final blow in the Sena's overthrow of Uddhav Thackeray yesterday.

Indicating that Shinde will be sworn in at 7:30 pm, Fadnavis stated, "I will stay out of the government and ensure it runs smoothly." The BJP leader declared that no additional ministers will take their oaths today.

Eknath Shinde complimented Fadnavis, other BJP officials, and Prime Minister Modi. "It's their magnanimity. They had a bigger mandate, yet they made me the Chief Minister. Who does that?" he said.

Early in the afternoon, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari met with Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde to establish their claim to authority.

Who is Eknath Shinde? Let’s take a look at his story:

• Eknath Shinde (58), appeared prepared to join the ranks of leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal and Narayan Rane who had previously been able to engineer a split in the Shiv Sena.

• Before becoming the most powerful leader in the current Shiv Sena after the Thackerays, Eknath Shinde worked in a beer brewery in Thane and drove an autorickshaw to make ends meet.

• After being persuaded by Shiv Sena leader Balasaheb Thackeray, Shinde joined the organisation in 1980 and took part in a number of agitations during that time.

• Shinde, a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly currently representing the Kopri-Pachpakhadi (Vidhan Sabha seat), was elected for four consecutive terms in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019.

• He has won four elections in a row since 2004, and his son Shrikant Shinde represents Kalyan as a Sena Member of Parliament.

• After his victory in 2014, he was chosen as the Shiv Sena legislative party's leader.

• Later, the Shiv Sena broke with the BJP, and he was elected as the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly.

• After engaging in an uprising on the Karnataka-Maharashtra boundary issue at Belgavi, Shinde was sentenced to 40 days in prison.

• His brother Prakash Shinde serves as a councillor, and his son Shrikant

• Shinde is a member of the Lok Sabha. Shinde, a powerful member of the Shiv Sena, has played a key role in fortifying the group in the Thane region.

• The senior Shiv Sena Leader cut off communication with some party MLAs a day after the ruling Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) suffered a significant defeat in the elections for the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

• Today, Eknath Shinde claimed to have the backing of 46 MLAs, including 40 from his party and 6 Independents. He arrived in Guwahati in BJP-ruled Assam early this morning.

• He also denied having any plans to switch parties and insisted that he will continue to uphold Balasaheb Thackeray's philosophy within the Shiv Sena.