Journalism of Courage
From working in a beer brewery in Thane and driving an autorickshaw to make ends meet, to becoming the most powerful leader in the Shiv Sena after the Thackerays, to splitting the party and becoming Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, has had an eventful career. (Express file photo by Deepak Joshi)
Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the 20th Chief Minister of Maharashtra on 30th June, by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. (Express File Photo/ Representative)
Under the government led by the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition which consisted of Shiv Sena, Congress, and NCP, Shinde was appointed as the Urban Development and PWD Minister. (Express file photo by Deepak Joshi)
In the high-intensity crisis that saw Shiv Sena scion Uddhav Thackeray resign as CM, two qualities helped Shinde prevail: the fact that he has the loyalty of many party MLAs for being an accessible leader – especially when appointment at Matoshree got tough – and being generous with economic largesse. (Express file photo by Deepak Joshi)
Shinde's swearing-in ceremony also contained a surprise. Shortly after former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis told a press conference that he would not be a part of the government, the central leadership of the party said he would be joining the government as the deputy CM. (Express file photo by Narendra Vaskar)
Shinde's family originally belongs to Satara district, making him the 4th Chief Minister from the district. He started his association with Shiv Sena in the 80s. (Express file photo by Narendra Vaskar)
Shinde soon gained proximity to then Thane district Sena president Anand Dighe, who ran the local unit with an iron fist and was instrumental in making the Shiv Sena a dominant force in the area. As Shinde modelled his appearance too after his mentor, Dighe rewarded his loyalty with helping him win a seat in the Thane Municipal Corporation in 1997. (Express file photo by Amit Chakravarty)
When the Shiv Sena dumped the BJP in 2019, there were murmurs about Shinde’s unhappiness with the political arrangement. Many within Shiv Sena, Congress, and NCP feared he could be the weak link. The impression was further strengthened as the BJP spared him even as it went after all other major MVA leaders. (Express file photo by Deepak Joshi)
Shinde also saw himself stymied in the Sena, according to sources, with Uddhav choosing to be CM and actively promoting his son Aaditya in both the party and government – unlike Bal Thackeray who never took a position in government. (Express file photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
The final straw for Shinde might have been the Sena’s decision to override his suggestion that the party contest the Thane Municipal Corporation polls alone. He was categorically told that the party would contest in alliance with the NCP and Congress, with Shinde reportedly taking affront to both the content and the manner of the communication, via leaders including Sanjay Raut. (Express file photo by Deepak Joshi)
Shinde has also built a public profile recently with a film on Anand Dighe, which he is said to have helped produce. The film portrays Shinde as a courageous Young Turk, always in the forefront, relentlessly working for the common man. (Express file photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
