Eknath Shinde

Eknath Sambhaji Shinde (pronunciation: [eknaːt̪ʰ ʃin̪d̪e]; born 9 February 1964^[1]) is an Indian politician who is serving as the 20th and current Chief Minister of Maharashtra since 30 June 2022. He is also serving as the Leader of Shiv Sena^[2] since February 2023 and the Leader of the House, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly since July 2022. He is also the Member of Legislative Assembly for the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency of Thane, Maharashtra since 2009 and was formerly the MLA of Thane constituency from 2004 to 2009.

Eknath Shinde
Shinde in 2024
20th Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Incumbent
Assumed office 30 June 2022 (2022-06-30)
Governor	Bhagat Singh Koshyari Ramesh Bais
Deputy	Devendra Fadnavis Ajit Pawar (from 2 July 2023)
Preceded by	Uddhav Thackeray
Cabinet Minister Government of Maharashtra
In office 30 December 2019 – 27 June 2022
Minister	Urban Development. Public Works (Including Public Undertakings) State Border Defence
Governor	Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Cabinet	Eknath Shinde ministry
Chief Minister	Uddhav Thackeray
Deputy CM	Ajit Pawar
Guardian Minister	Thane District Gadchiroli District
Preceded by	Himself (Acting) (Urban Development Ministry) Himself (Acting) (Public Works (Including Public Undertakings) Ministry) Uddhav Thackeray (Additional charge) State Border Defence Ministry
Succeeded by	Subhash Desai (Additional charge) (Urban Development Ministry) Subhash Desai (Additional charge) (Public Works (Including Public Undertakings) Ministry) Subhash Desai (Additional charge) State Border Defence Ministry
Cabinet Minister Government of Maharashtra
In office 05 December 2014 – 12 November 2019
Minister	Public Works (Including Public Undertakings) Public Health and Family Welfare (28 June 2018 – 8 November 2019)
Governor	C. Vidyasagar Rao Bhagat Singh Koshiyari
Cabinet	First Fadnavis ministry
Chief Minister	Devendra Fadnavis
Guardian Minister	Thane District
Preceded by	Eknath Khadse (Acting) (Public Works (Including Public Undertakings) Ministry) Deepak Sawant (Public Health Ministry)
Succeeded by	Himself (Acting) (Public Works (Including Public Undertakings) Ministry) Jayant Patil (Acting) (Public Health Ministry)
Leader of the House of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 03 July 2022
Deputy	Devendra Fadnavis
Preceded by	Uddhav Thackeray
25th Leader of the Opposition Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
In office 12 November 2014 – 5 December 2014
Chief Minister	Devendra Fadnavis
Preceded by	Eknath Khadse
Succeeded by	Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil
Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 2009
Preceded by	Constituency established
Constituency	Kopri-Pachpakhadi
In office 2004–2009
Preceded by	Moreshwar Joshi
Succeeded by	Rajan Vichare
Constituency	Thane
Chief leader of Shiv Sena
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 February 2023
Preceded by	Uddhav Thackeray as (President of Shiv Sena)
President of Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena
In office 10 October 2022 – 17 February 2023
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	Eknath Sambhaji Shinde (1964-02-09) 9 February 1964 (age 60) Dare, Maharashtra, India
Political party	Shiv Sena
Other political affiliations	National Democratic Alliance (2022-Present) (1999-2019) Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (2022–2023)
Spouse	Lata Eknath Shinde
Children	Shrikant Shinde
Parent	Sambhaji Shinde
Alma mater	Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nashik (BA)
Occupation	Politician

Early life

Shinde hails from the Dare Village, Jawali taluka in Satara, Maharashtra, and belongs to the Maratha community.^[3] His family moved to Thane (in the Mumbai outskirts). He studied until 11th standard at Mangala High School & Junior College, Thane.^[4] Shinde left school to support his family, however, he resumed his education in 2014 after joining the government ministry. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University in 2020.^[5][6][7]

Shinde was awarded D.Litt. (Doctor of Literature) by D Y Patil University at the convocation of the university in Navi Mumbai on 28 March 2023, at the hands of Maharashtra governor Ramesh Bais and University chancellor Dr Vijay Patil.^[8]

Shinde used to drive an autorickshaw to support his family before entering politics.^[9]

Early political career

Entry into politics

Shinde was introduced to politics by then Thane Shivsena President Anand Dighe in early 1980.^[10] Initially, he was leading the Shiv Sena agitation in the Wagle Industrial Estate. He became one of the prominent labour leader in the region.^[11] After recognition from Dighe, in 1984 he became a Sakha Pramukh in the Thane.^[12] In 1997, he was elected to the Thane Municipal Corporation as a corporator for the first time. Shinde became successor to Dighe's legacy after his death in 2001.^[13] Later in 2001 he was elected to the post of the Leader of the House of the Thane Municipal Corporation.^[14] In 2002 he was re-elected to the Thane Municipal Corporation for the second time.

Maharashtra Legislative Assembly & ministries

He has been elected as Member of Legislative Assembly since 2004 for four consecutive terms.

• 2004 : Elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for the first time
• 2005 : Appointed as the Thane district head of Shiv Sena. First MLA to have been appointed at such a coveted post in the party
• 2009 : Re-elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly ^[15]
• 2014 : Re-elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly ^[15][16]
  • October 2014 – December 2014: Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly** 2014 – 2019: Cabinet Minister of PWD (PU) in Maharashtra State Government^[14]
  • 2014 – 2019: Appointed as the guardian minister of Thane District
  • 2018 : Appointed as a Leader of Shiv Sena Party ^[17]
  • 2019 : Cabinet Minister of Public Health and Family Welfare (Marathi: सार्वजनिक आरोग्य आणि कुटुंब कल्याण) in Maharashtra State Government ^[18]
• 2019 : Elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for the fourth consecutive time
  • 2019 : Appointed as the minister of Urban Development and Public Works (Public Undertakings)^[19]
  • 2019 : Appointed as the Minister of Home Affairs (Acting) (28 November 2019 – 30 December 2019)
• 2020 : Appointed as the guardian minister of Thane district^[20]

Chief Minister of Maharashtra

• 2022 : Appointed as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra by the Governor of Maharashtra.^[21]

Role in 2022 Maharashtra political crisis

Main article: 2022 Maharashtra political crisis

Shinde was in favor of breaking the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance and reestablishing an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party.^[22] He requested Uddhav Thackeray to break the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance due to ideological differences and unfair treatment by the Congress Party and NCP.^[23] His fellow Shiv Sena members said that their complaints were ignored by Uddhav Thackeray and Uddhav favored the Congress Party and NCP over his own Shiv Sena members.^[24][25] Shinde was able to gather 2/3rd of members from his party to support his request.^[26] The crisis began on 21 June 2022 when Shinde and several other MLAs of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition moved to Surat in BJP-governed Gujarat, throwing the coalition into a chaos.^[27][28][29] As a result of Shinde's revolt, Uddhav Thackeray resigned from the post of Chief Minister of Maharashtra and said that he will also resign from the Maharashtra Legislative Council.^[30][31] Shinde successfully reestablished an alliance with the BJP and was sworn in as the 20th Chief Minister, with Bharatiya Janata Party's Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy Chief Minister.^[32][33]

Leader of Shiv Sena

Shiv Sena leadership dispute

After Eknath Shinde established the government, he started using the Shiv Sena name and symbols without Uddhav Thackrey's permission. This created issues as Uddhav Thackeray also claimed to be the leader of Shiv Sena. Uddhav's faction challenged this in court, which was eventually moved to the Election Commission of India. The Commission recognized Eknath Shinde's faction as the real Shiv Sena party, which ended the leadership dispute.^[34] The Election Commission also found the changes made to the Shiv Sena party constitution in 2018, under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, to be undemocratic. The amendments centralized the party's control and were criticized for not allowing free, fair, and transparent elections for the party positions.^[35]

Personal life

Shinde is married to Lata Shinde.^[36]

On 2 June 2000, their son Dipesh (aged 11) and daughter Shubhada (aged 7) went boating in a lake near their native village in Maharashtra. The boat overturned and both the children died by drowning. Shinde went into a period of depression for several months. Anand Dighe provided emotional support to Shinde and entrusted him with greater responsibility in order to keep his mind occupied and away from depression.^[37]

Their surviving child, Shrikant Shinde, is an orthopaedic surgeon who has also been the elected Member of Parliament to the Lok Sabha from the Kalyan constituency since 2014 (re-elected in 2019).^[38]

Popular culture

Dharmaveer, a 2022 Indian Marathi-language biographical drama film by Pravin Tarde, covered Anand Dighe and Eknath Shinde's life.^[39][40] Kshitij Date played the role of Eknath Shinde.^[41] Eknath Shinde has a starring role in Dharmaveer as one of Dighe’s most loyal foot soldiers.^[42]

References

1. "Watch: Who is Eknath Shinde? All you need to know about former auto driver on collision course with Shiv Sena leadership". Free Press Journal.
2. "एकनाथ शिंदे को शिवसेना मुख्य नेता, राष्ट्रीय कार्यकारिणी की बैठक में हुआ फैसला". News18 हिंदी (in Hindi). 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
3. "Eknath Shinde Caste: एकनाथ शिंदे की जाति क्या है? इंटरनेट पर क्यों हो रहा सर्च, जानिए". Navbharat Times (in Hindi).
4. "Eknath Sambhaji Shinde(SHS):Constituency- Kopri – Panchpakhadi(e-THANE)". Retrieved 13 November 2014.
5. "Maharashtra Minister Eknath Shinde a Degree Holder Now, Tweets Lok Sabha MP Son". News18. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
6. "Who is Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde and how did he rise through the ranks?". Hindustan Times. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
7. Desk, India com News. "Who is Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra's New Chief Minister?". www.india.com. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
8. "Online News portal". Hindustan Times. 28 March 2023. pp. मुख्यमंत्री एकनाथ शिंदे आजपासून झाले 'डॉक्टर' एकनाथ शिंदे. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
9. "Man of the moment: Who is Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena strongman who pushed MVA to brink of collapse?". Financialexpress. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
10. "Eknath Shinde: From Thane auto driver to Shiv Sena's top leader, all about him". Zee News. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
11. "The rise of Eknath Shinde: From auto driver to Maharashtra CM". mint. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
12. "Know about Maharashtra CM | Eknath Shinde". mieknathshinde.in. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
13. "Parallel lives: Shinde mentor Anand Dighe, Sena strongman and a thorn in Bal Thackeray's side". The Indian Express. 25 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
14. Kulkarni, Dhaval (21 June 2022). "Eknath Shinde: From a seat at head table to chief of rebellion". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
15. "Sitting and previous MLAs from Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly Constituency". elections.in.
16. "Eknath Shinde tops popularity charts". Retrieved 14 November 2014.
17. "आदित्य ठाकरेंची सेनेच्या नेतेपदी वर्णी, मनोहर जोशी, सुधीर जोशीही पदावर कायम" (in Marathi).
18. "महाराष्ट्र शासन सार्वजनिक आरोग्य विभाग".
19. "Maharashtra Cabinet portfolios announced: Dy CM Ajit Pawar gets finance and economy, Aaditya Thackeray allotted tourism and environment ministry". Firstpost. 5 January 2020.
20. "2020: Maharashtra govt appoints guardian ministers for all 36 districts".
21. "Eknath Shinde will be sworn in as Maharashtra chief minister: Devendra Fadnavis". Telangana Today. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
22. "'Want to save Shiv Sena from python MVA,' says Eknath Shinde". Firstpost. 25 June 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
23. Marpakwar, Chaitanya (22 June 2022). "Maharashtra MVA crisis: What made Eknath Shinde turn against Shiv Sena". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
24. "Uddhav Thackeray Left 52 Sena MLAs, His Home, But Not Sharad Pawar: Rebels". NDTV.com. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
25. Choudhari, Abhishek (24 June 2022). "Ramtek Ind MLA joins rebel Sena group, says CM ignored his plaints". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
26. "Maharashtra crisis: Uddhav Thackeray-led faction in hopeless minority within party, Eknath Shinde to SC". The Times of India. PTI. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
27. Singh, Darpan (21 June 2022). "Maharashtra political crisis: Why MVA coalition has always looked fragile". India Today. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
28. Karthikeyan, Suchitra (22 June 2022). "Maharashtra Political Crisis: MVA slides into minority; here's how the numbers stand". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
29. "What's next in the Maharashtra political crisis? Decoding the future of the MVA alliance". Firstpost. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
30. "'Don't want to play these games. I resign': Uddhav Thackeray ahead of trust vote". Hindustan Times. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
31. "You have brought down Balasaheb's son: Uddhav Thackeray resigns as Maharashtra CM". India Today. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
32. "Maharashtra political crisis Live Updates: PM Modi congratulates Shinde, Fadnavis on becoming CM, Dy CM". The Indian Express. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
33. "Fadnavis's masterstroke: Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde to be next Maharashtra CM, move corners Uddhav further". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
34. "EC recognises Eknath Shinde faction as real Shiv Sena, allots it 'bow and arrow' symbol". The Times of India. 17 February 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
35. "Uddhav Thackeray Loses Name, Symbol Of Shiv Sena Founded By Father". NDTV.com. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
36. "Eknath Shinde's Wife, Lata's Major Role In His Success From Being An Auto Driver To Maharashtra's CM". BollywoodShaadis. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
37. "eknath shinde: When my two children were in an accident, Anand Dighe Saheb raised me again: Eknath Shinde – my two kids died in an accident after that anand dighe gave support to me says shiv sena leader". 7 May 2022.
38. "Congress-NCP wiped out in Mumbai; Priya Dutt, Milind Deora lose". 16 May 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
39. "Marathi flick 'Dharmaveer' puts spotlight on Eknath Shinde's rising say in Shiv Sena politics". The Indian Express. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
40. "ZEE5 announces the release of Anand Dighe's biopic 'Dharmaveer'". The Statesman. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
41. "'The Scope on Their Work...': Kshitish Date on Playing Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde". News18. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
42. "Eknath Shinde has a starring role in Dharmaveer". Scroll.in. Nandini Ramnath. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Jaydatta Kshirsagar	Cabinet Minister for Public Works (Undertakings); Maharashtra State December 2014 – June 2022	Incumbent
Preceded by Ganesh Naik	Maharashtra State Guardian Minister for Thane district December 2014 – present	Incumbent