From Auto Rickshaw Driver To Maharashtra Chief Minister: The Eknath Shinde Story

On a tense night in 1989 in Mumbai, a mother and a child had to visit a hospital. There were restrictions on the roads due to violence in the area. With no transport available, a young auto-rickshaw driver, who lived in a chawl, drove the duo to the hospital. It’s a story etched in the memory of the neighbourhood where the auto-driver is believed to have spent decades of his life. 

Thirty-three years after risking his life that night, the man, Eknath Shinde, was sworn in as the 20th Chief Minister of Maharashtra. His wasn’t a meteoric rise. But when his moment came in July 2022, Mr Shinde seized it, successfully leading a rebellion against what was considered a stable Maha Vikas Agadhi government under Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray.  

Early Life And Education

Eknath Shinde was born into a Maratha family on February 9, 1964, in Dare village of Maharashtra’s Satara district. They later moved to Thane, a city on the outskirts of Mumbai, where he grew up. Mr Shinde attended Mangala High School & Junior College in Thane, studying up to class 11. He left school early to support his family financially and worked as an auto-rickshaw driver before joining politics. 

Eknath Shinde resumed his studies in 2014. In 2020, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University.

Entry To Politics

Eknath Shinde’s political journey began in the early 1980s when he was introduced to politics by Anand Dighe, the then-Thane Shiv Sena President. Initially, Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena’s agitation in the Wagle Estate area, where he emerged as a prominent labour leader. In 1984, he was appointed as Sakha Pramukh in Thane. Mr Shinde’s political ascent continued with his election as a corporator to the Thane Municipal Corporation in 1997, and his subsequent appointment as Leader of the House in 2001. 

He emerged as the heir to Anand Dighe’s legacy after the leader’s death in 2001. 

Political Career

Eknath Shinde’s success in local politics paved the way for his entry into the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. First elected to the Assembly in 2004, he was appointed as the Thane district head of Shiv Sena a year later. Over the years, Eknath Shinde’s political influence continued to grow, with his re-election to the Assembly in 2009, 2014 and 2019.

During his time in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Eknath Shinde held several key positions. From 2014 to 2019, he served as the minister for public works (public undertakings) and was also the guardian minister of Thane district. In 2018, he was appointed the Leader of the Shiv Sena in the Assembly. He was later appointed as the minister for public health and family welfare in 2019 and also served as the minister of urban development and public works and acting minister of home affairs in late 2019.  

Key Positions Held

• Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA): Eknath Shinde has been an MLA for the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency since 2009.
• Cabinet Minister: He served as the PWD minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government (2014-2019).
• Leader of the Opposition: Eknath Shinde led the Shiv Sena legislature party in the Maharashtra Assembly.

Chief Ministership

During his time as a minister in Devendra Fadnavis’ first term as Maharashtra Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde is believed to have built closer ties with him. In 2022, he led a revolt within the Shiv Sena, pushing for a breakup of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance and a reestablishment of ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mr Shinde cited ideological differences and dissatisfaction with the Congress and NCP’s treatment of Shiv Sena. His grievances, shared by many within his party, led him to gather support from two-thirds of Shiv Sena’s MLAs. 

In June 2022, Eknath Shinde and several MLAs moved to Surat, Gujarat, triggering a political crisis. As a result, Uddhav Thackeray resigned as Chief Minister, and Eknath Shinde successfully formed a new government with the BJP. He was sworn in as the 20th Chief Minister of Maharashtra in June 2022, with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as Deputy Chief Minister.

Shiv Sena

After assuming the Chief Minister’s post, Eknath Shinde staked claim to the party name and symbols, feuding with Uddhav Thackeray. The matter was taken to court, and then the Election Commission of India recognised Mr Shinde’s faction as the official Shiv Sena. The Commission also criticised the amendments made to the party’s constitution under Uddhav Thackeray in 2018, deeming them undemocratic and unduly centralised.

On February 4, 2024, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar ruled that Eknath Shinde’s faction was the “real Shiv Sena” political party. This decision dealt a major blow to Uddhav Thackeray.

Under Eknath Shinde’s leadership, the Shiv Sena managed to win only seven seats during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction, on the other hand, won nine, hinting at a potential political renaissance ahead of the November Assembly elections.

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024

Eknath Shinde is contesting the upcoming elections from his stronghold of Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly constituency in Thane on November 20. He will face Kedar Dighe, the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate and nephew of the late Anand Dighe, Mr Shinde’s mentor. 

Controversies

• In October 2024, the Eknath Shinde-led government received a legal notice from a Swiss firm over the alleged non-payment of dues for hospitality services rendered to its delegates during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. The notice sparked a political storm in the state and opposition leaders accused Mr Shinde’s government of financial mismanagement and overspending.
• In September, the Maharashtra CM and his government came under fire for the delay in capturing the culprits in the Badlapur sexual assault case. Eknath Shinde then courted controversy for defending the police, who killed Akshay Shinde, the man accused of sexually assaulting two young girls in Badlapur. The chief minister’s defence came despite the Bombay High Court raising questions over the custodial death of the accused, saying, “This cannot be termed an encounter”.
• Mr Shinde’s governance has also come under severe criticism over the law and order situation in the state. Just last month, prominent politician Baba Siddiqui, a member of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) — a part of the ruling Mahayuti government in the state — was murdered on the streets of Mumbai.

Personal Life

Eknath Shinde is married to Lata Shinde. His son Shrikant Shinde, is an orthopaedic surgeon and has been a Member of Parliament for the Kalyan constituency since 2014.