Eknath Shinde: Meet Maharashtra's new Chief Minister- Know 7 Lesser Known Facts

New Maharashtra CM: Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the 20th Chief Minister of Maharashtra at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on June 30, 2022. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the deputy Maharashtra CM, just few hours after he said that he will stay out of the new Maharashtra government.

Eknath Shinde was serving previously as the  Cabinet Minister of Urban Development and Public Works (Public Undertakings) in Maharashtra state government. He is also an elected MLA from Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency of Thane.

He has been elected as an MLA in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly four consecutive times in 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019.

#WATCH | Mumbai: Eknath Shinde takes oath as the Chief Minister of #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/y6pJs1YeyY

— ANI (@ANI) June 30, 2022

Eknath Shinde: 7 Lesser Known Facts About new Maharashtra's CM 

1. Eknath belongs to the Maratha Community and hails from the Jawali taluka in Satara, Maharashtra.

2. He used to drive an autorickshaw to support his family.

3. He was introduced to politics by the then Thane Shiv Sena President Anand Dighe in early 1980s. 

4. He became a successor to Dighe's legacy after his passing in 2001.

5. He was elected as a Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for the first time in 2004.

6. He has been a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for four consecutive terms in 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019. 

7. He was appointed as the leader of Shiv Sena in 2018. 

Family Tragedy

Eknath Shinde lost two of his sons in a boating accident on June 2, 2000. His two sons Dipesh (aged 11) and Shubhada (aged 7)  had gone boating in a lake near their native village in Maharashtra and they died by drowning when their boat overturned.  The incident had reportedly led Shinde into depression for several months. It was then that the Shiv Sena Thane President Anand Dighe offered him emotional support and gave him greater responsibility to keep him occupied. 

His only surviving child, Dr. Shrikant Shinde, is an orthopaedic surgeon. He was elected as a Member of Parliament to the Lok Sabha from the Kalyan constituency in 2014 and was re-elected in 2019.

Eknath Shinde's Political Journey

• He was elected as a corporator in the Thane Municipal Corporation for the first time in 1997 and second time in 2002.
• He was elected as the leader of the house in Thane Municipal Corporation in 2001.
• He was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for the first time in 2004, second time in 2009, third time in 2014 and fourth time in 2019. 
• He was appointed as the Thane district head of Shiv Sena in 2005.
• First MLA to have been appointed at such a coveted post in the party
• He served as the leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly between October 2014 - December 2014. 
• He served as the Cabinet Minister of PWD (PU) in Maharashtra State Government between 2014-2019.
• He was appointed as the leader of the Shiv Sena Party in 2018.
• He was appointed as the Cabinet Minister of Public Health and Family Welfare in 2019.

READ ALSO: Eknath Shinde sworn in as new Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis sworn in as Deputy CM