From driving an auto to birthing the Shinde Sena, Eknath's rise to power

The 60-year-old Bhai, as he is popularly known, took the driver’s seat of a big state like Maharashtra for two-and-a-half years before BJP's numbers in the 2024 assembly elections forced him to take on the Deputy CM role this time round.

Mumbai: From doing petty jobs including driving an auto-rickshaw in Thane district, Eknath Shinde has come a long way and surprisingly catapulted to becoming the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

The 60-year-old Bhai, as he is popularly known, took the driver’s seat of a big state like Maharashtra for two-and-a-half years.

However, because of the political arithmetic and the BJP’s number going up significantly in the Vidhan Sabha, he has had to settle for the post of Deputy CM this time round.

In June, 2022 he rebelled against then Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, who was then the CM heading the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and with the help of Devendra Fadnavis formed the MahaYuti again. While Shinde was CM, Fadnavis had to settle as Deputy CM and a year later Ajit Pawar became the second No. 2.

While doing odd jobs early in his career, he came under the influence of late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray and Shiv Sena’s Thane-belt strongman Anand Dighe.

When the film Dharmaveer: Mukkam Post Thane, a biographical film on Dighe was released, the ambitions of Shinde was clearly known.

Dighe was known as “the Bal Thackeray of Thane” and he wielded influence in the Palghar-Thane-Raigad belt.

Like Dighe, Shinde sports a beard and saffron tika on this forehead - and mostly is seen in crisp spotless white full-sleeve shirts and trousers.

Shinde hails from a Maratha family from Dare in Jawali in the Satara district.

Born on February 9, 1964, Shinde left his education before he could complete graduation.

When he joined Shiv Sena, the saffron party was in its early stages espousing the cause of ‘bhoomiputra’ or Marathi-manoos and Hindutva.

He moved to Mumbai’s neighbouring district of Thane and stayed in the Wagle Estate area.

He joined the Shiv Sena in the 1980s and was appointed Shakha Pramukh of Kisan Nagar. Since then, he has been at the forefront of many agitations.

He also took part in Maharashtra-Karnataka border agitation in 1985.

He was elected to the Thane Municipal Corporation in 1997. He was tasked by the Shiv Sena to work in Thane,

Eknath is also a five-term MLA from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency of the Thane district.

His son, Dr Shrikant Shinde, an orthopaedic surgeon, is a three-term MP from the Kalyan seat of the district.

In 2014, when the Shiv Sena initially chose not to join the government, Shinde was briefly the Leader of the Opposition. On joining the government, he was given the portfolio of the Public Works Department, looking after Public Undertakings and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation.

He also held the charge of the Public Health and Family Welfare portfolio.

In fact, he executed the Mumbai-Nagpur super communication highway or Samruddhi Corridor, the dream project of Fadnavis. He is also overseeing the expansion of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.