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Maharashtra

Different Journeys, Same Destination: Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, And Ajit Pawar Unite As Maharashtra’s Leadership Trio

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12 months ago

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Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra in a grand and colorful ceremony at the Azad Maidan on Thursday evening. Eknath Shinde, leader of the Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar, leader of the NCP, took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers.

Here’s a look at the political careers of the CM and DyCMs.

Devendra Fadanvis

Devendra Fadnavis, the political stalwart who rose from humble beginnings to become a key figure in Maharashtra politics, was on Thursday evening sworn in as chief minister – a position he has held twice before.

During his previous tenure as Chief Minister, before the 2019 elections, Fadnavis famously recited the line “Mi Punha Yein” (I will back), which became both a widely celebrated and critiqued tagline. However, the political landscape shifted dramatically after the elections when Uddhav Thackeray parted ways with the BJP. Fadnavis then allied with the NCP’s Ajit Pawar, and both were sworn in as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively, in a government that lasted less than 80 hours.

Fadnavis faced ridicule over his “Mi Punha Yein” remark during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s tenure. In 2022, Eknath Shinde led a split in the Shiv Sena and formed a new government with the BJP. Although many expected Fadnavis to return as the CM, he was appointed Deputy Chief Minister instead. After a challenging political journey of five years, Fadnavis has finally reclaimed the Chief Minister’s position.

From being a corporator and mayor in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation to becoming the Chief Minister of the state, Fadnavis has had a distinguished political career. Fadnavis began his political career as an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). At 22, he became a corporator in the Nagpur civic body and its youngest Mayor in 1997 at age 27.

In 1999, he was first elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from the West Nagpur constituency, where he was re-elected consecutively for two terms. Later, he won the elections from the South West Nagpur constituency four times. Since 1999, he has represented Nagpur in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Eknath Shinde

From a Shiv Sena rebel in 2022, veteran politician Eknath Sambhaji Shinde went on to acquire the image of a doer and man of action as chief minister in a short span of two-and-a-half years when he headed the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra.

Shinde, who had no prior political background, began his political career in 1980. After working for some time in organisational roles for the Shiv Sena, he was appointed to various constitutional positions. He won his first election as a corporator in the Thane Municipal Corporation in 1997, followed by his appointment as Leader of the House in 2001.

In 2004, Shinde was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. A year later, he was named the Thane district head of Shiv Sena. Over the years, Shinde’s popularity grew, leading to his re-election to the Assembly in 2009, 2014, and 2019.

During his tenure in the Legislative Assembly, Shinde held several significant roles. From 2014 to 2019, he served as the Minister for Public Works and Guardian Minister of Thane district. In 2018, he was appointed the Leader of the Shiv Sena in the Assembly.

In 2019, he assumed additional responsibilities as the Minister for Public Health and Family Welfare, as well as the Minister for Urban Development and Public Works. He also briefly served as the acting Minister of Home Affairs later that year.

A turning point in his political career came in June 2022, when Shinde, along with several MLAs, moved to Surat, Gujarat, sparking a political crisis in Maharashtra. This led to Uddhav Thackeray’s resignation as Chief Minister. Shinde subsequently formed a new government in alliance with the BJP and NCP and was sworn in as the 20th Chief Minister of Maharashtra in June 2022.

On December 5, 2024, Shinde took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, further cementing his role as a key figure in the state’s political landscape.

Ajit Pawar

Ajit Pawar, who has long aspired to become the chief minister but finished second five times, has once again been appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister. This marks the sixth time as the deputy chief minister, setting a unique record.

A stalwart of Maharashtra politics, Ajit Pawar is a seasoned leader renowned for his administrative expertise, sharp political instincts, and strong grassroots presence. Over his political career, he has served as deputy chief minister under Chief Ministers Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.

Despite speculations about facing challenges in retaining the Baramati constituency during the assembly elections, Ajit Pawar was re-elected for the eighth consecutive time with a significant majority. His re-election solidifies his position as a key figure in Maharashtra politics.

In 1991, Ajit Pawar contested the Lok Sabha elections for the first time and became the Member of Parliament (MP) from Baramati. That same year, following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and the subsequent political changes at the Centre, Sharad Pawar was appointed as the Union Defence Minister.

After Sharad Pawar resigned from his position in the Baramati Assembly constituency, Ajit Pawar contested the by-election and was elected as the MLA for the first time. Since then, for the past 35 years, he has been consistently elected from the Baramati.

While in government, Ajit Pawar has handled key portfolios such as finance minister, water resources minister and rural development minister. He has also served as the guardian minister of Pune. After the fall of the MVA government, he served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for a year.

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Maharashtra

Kalyan College Namaz Controversy: SIO Demands Action Against Perpetrators

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2 hours ago

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November 26, 2025

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Mumbai: SIO has demanded strict action against the hooliganism of Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad on offering prayers in Mumbai’s Kalyan College. Here, State Secretary SIO Aziz Ahmed said that
The incident that took place at Ideal College of Pharmacy and Research in Kalyan is highly condemnable and unacceptable, where hooligans belonging to Bajrang Dal entered the college campus, threatened and harassed Muslim students for offering prayers and even tried to make them sit in front of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This incident is a direct attack on religious freedom and the sanctity of the educational campus.

SIO strongly condemns this incident and expresses complete solidarity with the affected students. We demand that strict action be taken against the accused at the earliest, the college administration ensure the safety of the students and take concrete steps to prevent such incidents in the future.

We appeal to the entire student community to maintain religious harmony and remain united against such sectarian attitudes and demonstrate strong solidarity.

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Maharashtra

Five-year-old kidnapped girl rescued from Vakola, five arrested, girl held hostage by uncle in Panol

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22 hours ago

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November 25, 2025

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Mumbai: Police has claimed to have arrested five accused, including uncle Momani, on charges of kidnapping a five-year-old girl. The gang had planned to kidnap and sell the girl. A case of kidnapping of a minor girl was registered on November 22 under the limits of Vakola police station. Several teams were formed in Zones 8 and 7. During the investigation, it was revealed that a suspicious rickshaw had gone to Panvel and returned. A man, a woman, a rickshaw driver and the girl were in the rickshaw between 2 and 3 am. The kidnappers were identified as the girl’s uncle Lawrence Niconelis Fernandes, 42, and his wife Momani, who is a Mangal degree, both of them had gone to Panvel by rickshaw and were going to sell the kidnapped girl. The kidnapped girl was recovered from the possession of their acquaintance Sans. The Sans gave details about the wanted accused during the investigation, after which Windra Dinesh Chavan, 60, and Anjali Ajit Korgaokar, 57, were arrested from New Panvel, Raigad. The kidnapped girl was sold for Rs 1,80,000 and Vrinda Chavan was taken into custody from her house and the girl was safely brought to Vakola. This operation was carried out by DCP Manish Kalwaniya on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and the girl was recovered safely. In this case, the police have arrested rickshaw driver Latif Abdul Majeed Sheikh, 52, a resident of Santa Cruz, Lawrence Nicholas Fernandes, 42, a laborer from Raigarh, Mangal Dagra Jadhav, 38, from Raigarh, Kiran Maruti Sons, 38, from Panvel, Vrinda Vanish Chavan, 60, from Raigarh and the investigation is underway.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Govt Launches Major Push For Women’s Economic Empowerment In Rural & Tribal Areas

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23 hours ago

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November 25, 2025

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Palghar: The Maharashtra government has initiated a major push toward strengthening economic prospects for women in rural and tribal regions, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stating that women’s economic empowerment remains the administration’s top priority.

On Monday, the Umed–Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission (MSRLM) under the Rural Development Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Raah Foundation to expand sustainable livelihood opportunities for women across the state.

Fadnavis said the collaboration would play a crucial role in enhancing income-generation avenues for women in remote and tribal regions. “This MoU will significantly help in expanding livelihood opportunities for women by tapping into their inherent skills and local resources,” he said, highlighting ongoing efforts to create economic development pathways across rural Maharashtra.

The agreement aims to empower women in Palghar, Nashik, and Raigad districts—regions with a large tribal and rural population—by integrating climate-resilient practices, smart agriculture, water security initiatives, and nature-based livelihood programmes.

The partnership will combine the technical expertise of the Raah Foundation with Umed’s extensive network of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), enabling rural women to access training, resources, and market linkages.

Under the collaboration, two nursery development and bio-production centres will be set up in each of the three districts, expected to benefit more than 5,000 women and farmers. Additionally, a women-led Food Forest Project will be launched, with each participant expected to earn up to ₹1 lakh annually.

The initiative will also integrate multiple government schemes—including the Van Dhan Scheme, PMFME, NHM, and RSETI—to ensure women farmers receive support in the form of credit, insurance, training, and market access.

Officials said the collaboration aligns with Maharashtra’s Vision 2030, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and India’s National Climate Commitments (NDCs), positioning the project as a scalable model for women-led, sustainable economic growth.

The government expects the initiative to create measurable improvements in income, resilience, and financial autonomy for thousands of rural women—ushering in a transformative shift in livelihood opportunities across the state.

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