Maharashtra: What will happen to Eknath Shinde? 8 ex-CMs who became Deputy CMs or ministers

A circle of fate is in the making in Maharashtra as the state is once again witnessing a 2022 political event in which then front runner for chief minister post and former CM Devendra Fadnavis agreed to become deputy to his ally Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde. Now, Eknath supports Fadnavis for CM post.

Maharashtra is likely to witness a unique episode of Indian politics again in which a Chief Minister agrees to leave the top job and accept a Deputy Chief Minister's post or Cabinet berth in the government. As Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde resigned on Tuesday, paving the way for the appointment of a new Chief Minister, the current political scenario suggests that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and deputy to CM Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, will become the Chief Minister of the state, days after ruling Mahayuti received a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections on November 23. 

The ruling Mahayuti coalition showed an impressive performance in the recent Assembly elections, where it secured a commanding 235 out of 288 seats. The BJP on its own walked away with 132 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena Shinde faction with 57 and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with 41 seats. Ajit Pawar already hinted that his party will support Fadnavis for the top job in the state. On Wednesday, Shinde, whose Shive Sena has been insisting on the CM post, said he is not in the CM race. However, he kept his cards close to his chest about his next role. If Shinde becomes deputy to Fadnavis, it would be a repetition of the 2022 political saga in which Fadnavis accepted the Deputy CM post despite being the top runner for the CM post.

The uncertainty surrounding the selection of Shinde's successor remains, as coalition leaders have yet to make an official announcement on CM's name. However, the BJP said the name for the CM post will be announced soon.

Considering the nature of Indian politics, a gesture in which a politician who holds the chief minister post agrees to accept a post that stands lower in rank in the government is rare. Generally, we saw how many tactics were used by the politicians for the CM post. The fresh incidents are Jharkhand's Champai Soren and Bihar's Jitan Ram Manjhi’s revolts against their respective parties. The duo did not feel comfortable after leaving the chief minister post. Soren, a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader, joined the BJP just ahead of the Assembly elections, whereas Manjhi, a Janata Dal (United) leader, formed his party, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).

Here, we listed some politicians who become Deputy CM or minister after quitting the chief ministerial post:

1. Devendra Fadnavis: In June 2022, in a surprise turn of events, Fadnavis took oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, giving the CM post to ally Shinde. Fadnavis was the Maharashtra Chief Minister from 2014 to 2019 after the BJP emerged as the single-largest party in the state for the first time in the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections with 122 seats. 
2. Babulal Gaur: BJP leader Gaur has been chief minister of Madhya Pradesh from August 2004 to November 2005. He later accepted a ministerial post under the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in 2008.
3. Narayan Rane: Rane, the 13th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, accepted a ministerial post after quitting the top job in 1999. He served as minister in four terms: November 2010-October 2014, August 2005-December 2008, November 2009-November 2010, and February 2009-November 2009.
4. Ashok Chavan: Chavan, who was the 16th Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2008-2009 and again from 2009 to 2010, accepted a ministerial post in the Uddhav Thackeray government in 2019.
5. Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar: The 10th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (June 1985-March 1986), Nilangekar also served as the Cabinet minister in the Sushilkumar Shinde government in 2003.
6. TR Zeliang: Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) leader TR Zeliang has been the 10th Chief Minister of Nagaland from 2014 to 2017 and again from 2017 to 2018. Currently, he is Deputy Chief Minister under the Neiphiu Rio government.
7. O Panneerselvam: Panneerselvam (OPS), a close aide of the late J Jayalalithaa, has been Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for three terms. He first served as CM in 2001-02 and then in 2014-15 after Jayalalithaa had to go to jail in corruption-related cases. He stepped down every time and accepted a ministerial post after she returned from jail and retained the CM post. OPS became the CM for the third and last time for a brief period from 2016 to 2017 after the death of Jayalalithaa. He later accepted the Deputy Chief Minister's post in the Edappadi Palaniswami Cabinet.
8. Suresh Mehta: BJP leader Mehta has been Chief Minister of Gujarat from October 1995 to September 1996. He later served as a minister in the Cabinet of Keshubhai Patel in 1998.

Also read: Maharashtra CM's race nears end as Eknath Shinde backs BJP for top post: Top Quotes