Eknath Shinde sworn-in as CM of Maharashtra

Tags: Popular State News

Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde was on 30 June sworn in as the 20th chief minister of Maharashtra, while BJP's former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the deputy chief minister.

• Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath of office to Shinde and his deputy Fadnavis at the Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai.

• Maharashtra Governor has asked Chief Minister Shinde to prove his government's majority in the state assembly.

• The Cabinet decided to convene a two-day special session of the state legislature on 2nd and 3rd July. 

• The Speaker of the assembly will also be elected during the special session. 

• Shinde, who served as urban development minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government, had rebelled against Shiv Sena chief and then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

• He camped in a hotel in Guwahati and later in Goa with 39 other army MLAs, reducing the Aghadi government to a minority.

• After the Supreme Court refused to stay the governor's decision to conduct a floor test, Thackeray resigned from his post.

• About Eknath Shinde

• Before emerging as the leader of Shiv Sena, Eknath Sambhaji Shinde drove an auto-rickshaw to earn a living.

• Born on 9 February 1964, Shinde dropped out of college before completing his graduation.

• He is 58 years old and hails from Satara district of western Maharashtra, he started his political career from Thane, Mumbai.

• He is a four-time MLA, having handled the urban development and PWD portfolios in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray.

• Shinde was appointed the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for a brief period in 2014.

• Important facts about Maharashtra

• Establishment - 1st May 1960

• Official Language -  Marathi

• Neighbouring States - Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Dadra And Nagar Haveli, Chhattisgarh

• Members of Parliament - Lok Sabaha 48 (Rajya Sabha seats 19)

• Legislature - Bicameral ( Assembly 289 and council 78 seats)

• Literacy - 82.91%

• Districts - 36

• Major Rivers - Tributaries of Tapti, Bhima, Godavari and Krishna

• Capital - Mumbai

• Population - 11.23 crore (2011 census)