Mumbai, November 10: Putting an end to all speculation, Congress on Wednesday, Nov 10 morning formally announced that Union Minister Prithviraj Chavan will take over as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi has chosen Prithviraj Chavan to be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters, adding that Maharashtra Congress Legislative Party (CLP) completely backed the decision.
Chavan's appointment came in lines with the media speculation that he is most likely to be picked as the Maharashtra CM after he went to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the early hours of Nov 10.
The CLP had on Tuesday, Nov 9 authorised Sonia Gandhi to choose Maharashtra's new leader, soon after Ashok Chavan was forced to resign over his alleged involvement in the Adarsh housing society scam.
Why Prithviraj Chavan?
Prithviraj Chavan, a foreign educated MBA graduate, is considered as a progressive thinker. Chavan not only takes care of the Science and Technology ministry at the Centre but also oversees the Indo-US nuclear deal. He is also the Minister of State for the ministries of Ministry of Earth Sciences; Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
Working at the Centre for years, Chavan has been completely out of touch with state politics, which may work well for Congress as he is less likely to indulge in factional politics.
With this new responsibility, Prithviraj Chavan will have to be relieved from his responsibilities at the Centre. This would call for a Cabinet reshuffle, which has been on the cards for several months now.
--------Agencies
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