Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appears super confident of getting back into the seat after the assembly elections. More importantly, none of the analysts, who had written him off after his rebellion against MVA government under Uddhav Thackeray, would dare to do so today.
Two and a half years ago, when the Shiv Sena fractured into two factions and Eknath Shinde aligned with the BJP, backed by 40 MLAs, many political observers viewed it as the conch-call heralding the end of his political career. The sentiment was that Shinde, as Maharashtra chief minister, would be a pawn in the hands of the BJP and his faction would soon see a mass exodus to the Uddhav Thackeray camp. But, Shinde not just defied those prophecies, but has carved out a distinct identity and presented a significant challenge to the Opposition.
Shinde’s deep understanding of the administration and deeper commitment towards the people helped him get the necessary grip over the administration. Moreover, his ability to tirelessly work round the clock and sharp memory coupled with persistence in follow-ups helped him tighten the grip and make the administration run faster. The secret of his confidence lies in this work culture that he has followed over past two years. His tireless work for the people shall sail him through the assembly polls.
Shinde was elected to the Thane municipal corporation in 1997 for the first time and became leader of party in the corporation in 2001. After the death of his mentor Anand Dighe he filled the vacuum in the party and became MLA in 2004. Those were the tough times for the Shiv Sena when first in 2005 senior leader and former CM Narayan Rane quit the party to join the Congress and in 2006 Raj Thackeray separated to float his new party. Shinde stood firm with Uddhav Thackeray in those tough times. He got rewarded, in a sense, in 2014 when his son got party ticket to contest Lok Sabha election from Kalyan, which he could comfortably win in the Modi wave.
After the BJP and the Shiv Sena contested the assembly elections separately that year and Sena joined the government latter, Shinde was given the charge of MSRDC under the PWD department. The MSRDC was entrusted with several big ticket infra projects including Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi corridor and Atal Setu. His efficiency in getting the projects through brought him closer to the then CM Devendra Fadnavis. Shide was humiliated several times by Thackeray and people close to him, which didn’t leave any option for him but to leave the party and the government. He surprised even the BJP when engineered vertical split within the Shiv Sena. Not it needs to be seen whether he is able to throw more surprises when the assembly results will be out next month.
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