Eknath Shinde faces 'beaten track' of five ex-CMs amid tough bargaining

New Delhi: Outgoing CM and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, who was still being persuaded by CM-elect Devendra Fadnavis to become one of his deputies at the time of writing Wednesday night, won't become an odd man out if he finally settles for a demotion as in the peculiar electoral history of Maharashtra, there are almost half a dozen cases of former CMs later working as ministers or Dy CMs due to compulsions of political circumstances or lure of power. Shinde, therefore, is being given the choice to travel the 'beaten path' or face the perils of coalition dynamics by sitting out.

At least two earlier CMs of Maharashtra, like Shinde, too had lost the top post despite leading their party/coalition to electoral victories.

Also Read: 'Requested Shinde to...': What Maharashtra CM-elect Fadnavis said on ex-CM Eknath Shinde's role


While Fadnavis is staging a comeback having been made to serve as Deputy CM under Shinde, Maharashtra's saga of former CMs settling for ministerial posts in other ministries started in the 1970s with Congress veteran SB Chavan, the Indira Gandhi-chosen CM of the state during 1975-77 (Emergency period).

Less than a year after he was replaced by Vasantdada Patil as CM, Chavan agreed to become a minister when the then 37-year-old Sharad Pawar formed his first (PDF) government by breaking off the Congress(U)-Congress (I) coalition and by aligning his breakaway outfit with the Janata Party. Incidentally, Pawar had served as a minister in the earlier Chavan government.

Interestingly, Chavan again became a CM in the 1980s. Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar, the Congress CM in the mid-1980s, settled as a minister under CM Sushil Kumar Shinde in 2003. Then Congress leader Ashok Chavan, not only became a two-term CM but also served as a minister under CM Uddhav Thackeray. Former Sena CM Narain Rane served as a minister in three Congress subsequent governments, headed by Vilasrau Deshmukh, Shinde and Ashok Chavan.

While Shinde has lost the top post despite Mahayuti retaining power under his chief ministership, two former CMs too faced a similar fate. After the Congress-NCP government retained power in 2009 with Shinde as CM, he had to make way for Deshmukh's comeback as CM.

Similarly, despite Fadnavis-led BJP-Shiv Sena regime retaining power in 2019, Deshmukh's continuation as CM -- even after swearing in for four days -- was ambushed when Sena crossed over to form the MVA government with Congress-NCP.