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This article was first published 14 years ago

Maharashtra CMs' jinx! They rarely last a full term

Last updated on: November 11, 2010 09:03 IST

Image: Ashok Chavan was forced to step down after he was linked to Mumbai's Adarsh Housing Society scam
Completing a full term as chief minister of Maharashtra has always eluded the incumbent leader due to various reasons from controversies to factionalism in the ruling party.

The latest being Ashok Chavan, forced to step down after he was linked to the Adarsh housing society scam soon after completing a year in office.

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Deshmukh fell a few months short of 5 years

Image: Deshmukh was shown the door after he kicked off a controversy post the 26/11 attacks
Ashok Chavan replaced Vilasrao Deshmukh, who found himself in trouble when his actor son Riteish Deshmukh and  filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma accompanied him during a visit to the Taj Hotel, among the sites of the 26/11 terror attacks.

Chavan was sworn in as the CM on December 4, 2008, cutting short Deshmukh's tenure and again took oath in November 7, 2009 after the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine won the state polls.

Deshmukh served from October 18, 1999 to January 16, 2003 and November 1, 2004 to November 5, 2008 in his first and second terms respectively.

Deshmukh fell short a few months to complete the five years. His total tenure was of over seven years, as he became the CM twice.

Vasantrao Naik, Maharashtra's longest serving CM

Image: Vasantrao Naik was Maharashtra's CM for 12 years
Only Vasantrao Naik served the longest term of 12 years as the CM from December 5, 1963 to February 20, 1975.

But none of the leaders have been able to break his record.


Pawar, Joshi's incomplete term story

Image: While Manohar Joshi fell short of a few months to complete five years, Sharad Pawar served as CM for 7 years but in three different terms
Even Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, a Congressman then, served for over seven years as the CM, but in three different terms.

Shiv Sena's Manohar Joshi fell short a few months to complete the five years.

He was in CMO from March 14, 1995 to January 31, 1999 and was forced to leave for allegedly being involved in allotting a plot reserved for a primary school at Pune to his developer son-in-law Girish Vyas.

Cement scam put A R Antulay in a fix

Image: AR Antulay quit as CM after he was indicated by Bombay HC for his involvement in a cement scam
Former CM A R Antulay had to quit on January 21, 1982 after he was indicted by the Bombay high court for his involvement in the much-discussed cement scam.

Antulay was accused of taking donations from the beneficiaries for a private trust managed by him in lieu of cement allotted to them from the state's quota.

Shijivarao Patil-Nilangekar, a CM for 10 months

Image: Shijivarao Patil-Nilangekar quit in 1986
Shijivarao Patil-Nilangekar, who was the CM for just 10 months during 1985-86, had to quit on March 6, 1986 following a marksheet scandal involving his daughter Chandrakala.

The Bombay HC passed strictures against him saying that an examiner, tampered with the grade sheets of his daughter.

Shankarrao Chavan, Vasantdada Patil, Sudhakarrao Naik and Pawar's tenures were short lived due to rivalry and game of one-upmanship in the faction ridden Maharashtra Congress.

Shinde's term cut short by Cong-NCP win in 2004 polls

Image: Sushilkumar Shinde succeeded Deshmukh in 2003
Sushilkumar Shinde and then Sena leader Narayan Rane also could not complete their terms as the CM.

Shinde who succeeded Deshmukh in 2003 could not continue after the Assembly polls won by Congress-NCP alliance in 2004.

While Rane's tenure was cut short because Sena-BJP lost 1999 elections.

Prithviraj Chavan, the jinx continues

Image: Prithviraj Chavan will be sworn in as Maharashtra's new CM on Thursday
Interestingly, Prithviraj Chavan is taking charge as the CM when the Congress-NCP led government has already completed a year in power.

Therefore, even he would not be able to claim for to have completed the full term.