Eknath Shinde is fourth Maharashtra CM hailing from Satara

After late Yashwantrao Chavan, Babasaheb Bhosale and Prithviraj Chavan, Eknath Shinde is the fourth leader from Satara to have become the CM of Maharashtra.

Pune: Eknath Shinde on Thursday became the fourth chief minister of Maharashtra who hails from the Satara district. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who himself has roots in the western Maharashtra district, noted this in a tweet congratulating Shinde. 

While Shinde cut his teeth as a Shiv Sena leader in Thane near Mumbai, he hails from Dare Tamb village, 60 km from Satara city.  Before him, the state had three chief ministers from the district: Yashwantrao Chavan (the first CM of the state), Babasaheb Bhosale and Prithviraj Chavan. 

While Pawar, another former CM, is mainly associated with Baramati in the Pune district, the NCP leader told reporters that his family has roots in the Koregaon tehsil of Satara. 

"After late Yashwantrao Chavan, Shree Babasaheb Bhosale and Shree Prithviraj Chavan, another Satara-kar has taken over as the Chief Minister," Pawar tweeted earlier in the day.  Vijay Mandake, a senior journalist from the district, said leaders from Satara have always been influential in state politics. 

Ganesh Utekar, a Shiv Sena leader from the district and resident of Shinde's native Dare village, said it was a pleasant shock for all of them when BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis announced Shinde as the next CM. 

"Everybody in the village is celebrating the development," he added. Shinde, who completed his primary education in a local school, visits the village regularly and does not miss the annual village fair, Utekar said.

Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde was on Thursday sworn in as the new Maharashtra Chief Minister, while BJP's Devendra Fadnavis took oath as deputy chief minister. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath of office to them at Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai shortly after 7.30 pm.

Shinde began by paying tributes to late Shiv Sena leaders Bal Thackeray and Anand Dighe. His supporters shouted slogans hailing Thackeray and Dighe as he finished taking the oath.