Mumbai:
Ashok Chavan's selection as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra was not without its share of behind-the-scene drama. What exactly were the backroom pulls and pressures? And what are the challenges before Chavan in his new term? Here's a look.
The decision was announced by the party after persuading his rivals Vilasrao Deshmukh and Narayan Rane to withdraw. The two contenders had joined hands to keep Chavan out, with Deshmukh lobbying especially hard.
"From day one I have been saying whatever the high command asks me to do I will do. Twice I've resigned as the CM - the high command said resign, I resigned. They made me the CM and now the Central Minister," said Deshmukh.
Most of the party's 82 MLAs left the decision on the chief ministership to Sonia Gandhi. And Chavan had been frontrunner right from the start.
The son of former chief minister S B Chavan had replaced Deshmukh, who was ousted after 26/11. Though he held the post for just nine months before the polls, Chavan led the party to a clear majority.
He's seen as a new non-controversial face, another reason the high command was keen to repeat him. But some feel he's not seasoned enough to keep the Congress coalition partner, the NCP, in check.
"I have led the government, last eight to nine months I have performed. Whatever I have performed is before you and people have voted for that performance," said Chavan.
Perhaps Chavan's greatest challenge will be to keep the faction ridden Congress together. The rival Deshmukh and Rane camps may not let him rest easy.