Fadnavis becomes fourth former Maharashtra CM to accept junior post in another dispensation

Mumbai: Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday became a fourth Maharashtra politician who accepted a junior position in a government after having served as chief minister.

Fadnavis, earlier in the day, made a stunning announcement that rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde would be sworn in as the new chief minister following the collapse of the Uddhav Thackery government, and he himself would not be part of the ministry.

But later BJP chief J P Nadda said Fadnavis would be part of the government and eventually Fadnavis took oath as Shinde's deputy.

Fadnavis was chief minister for full five years from 2014 to 2019. After the 2019 Assembly elections, as the Sena fell out with the BJP, Fadnavis became chief minister again with the support of a group of NCP MLAs led by Ajit Pawar, but had to resign within three days as they could not muster the numbers.

A former chief minister accepting a junior post in a subsequent government is rare, but Maharashtra has witnessed such situation in the past.

Congress leader Shankarrao Chavan became chief minister in 1975 and served for two years, before being replaced by Vasantdada Patil.

In 1978, Sharad Pawar, a minister in Patil cabinet, brought down the government and became chief minister. Chavan became finance minister in the Progressive Democratic Front government led by Pawar.

Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar was the chief minister of Maharashtra from June 1985 to March 1986. Years later, he became revenue minister in the Sushilkumar Shinde government in 2004.

Narayan Rane, then with the Shiv Sena, became Maharashtra Chief Minister in 1999 and served for less than a year. Later, after he had left the Sena to join the Congress, he became revenue minister in the Vilasrao Deshmukh-led government.