Prithviraj Chavan sworn in Maharashtra Chief Minister

Mumbai: Former Union Minister Prithviraj Chavan was sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar as Deputy Chief Minister on Thursday.

Governor K Sankaranarayanan administered them the oaths of office at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.

Chavan of the Congress party and Pawar, of the NCP, were accompanied by other senior leaders from both the alliance partners.

Last night, the two called on Governor K Sankaranarayan to submit letters of support and stake claim to form the next government in the state. Ajit Pawar was accompanied by other NCP leaders, including the man he replaces as Deputy CM, Chhagan Bhujbal, but sacked Chief Minister Ashok Chavan was missing in the Congress entourage that was with Prithviraj Chavan.

The 64-year-old Chavan, who resigned as union minister to take charge as Chief Minister, arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday to a rousing welcome and drove to Sahaydri government guest house in south Mumbai where he met independent MLAs and party legislators. (Read: Who is Prithviraj Chavan)

On Thursday, Ajit Pawar came to Delhi to meet his party chief and uncle Sharad Pawar at the latter's 6 Janpath residence to discuss ministerial berths. He also met senior NCP leader and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.

Sources say Ajit Pawar wants the NCP part of the Maharashtra cabinet rejigged to accommodate his men in key posts. Sharad Pawar, of course, will finalise the list.

The process of forming a new government in Maharashtra began on Wednesday morning with Prithviraj Chavan's name being formally announced by senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee, after a meeting with the Congress President Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence.

After his name was announced, Chavan said, "I accept CM's post with humility. I will try to take everybody with me together...The Congress leadership and MLAs in Maharashtra called upon me to undertake this responsibility of heading the government in Maharashtra at an important juncture. I seek the cooperation and support of all and I promise I'll do my best to give leadership to the state." (Watch)

He also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and submitted his resignation as the Minister of State in the PMO.

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, Eknath Khadse said, "The first challenge for Prithviraj Chavan is to manage his alliance. How the Congress and the NCP work together, we will see in the future. There is a lot of factionalism in the Congress and he has to deal with that too. He has to work with everyone for the progress of the state and I congratulate him".

Seeking cooperation and support of all, Chavan said, "Congress party has always stood above petty interest and risen to the occasion in the interest of the party. I am sure the same thing will happen now."

Backing Maharashtra's new chief minister, Sharad Pawar said,"Prithviraj is good, sober man. Hope he will do good work". (Read: Prithviraj is a good, sober man, says Pawar)

Why Prithviraj Chavan

With the name of leader after senior Congress leader cropping up in connection with the Adarsh Housing society scam, the Congress' choice was limited, especially given that the party is in clean-up mode after battling several corruption scandals. In such situation, Chavan was the best choice with his efficient and clean image. The fact that he is close to and is valued by both the Prime Minister and the Congress President weighed heavily in his favour.

Chavan has hitherto held several key assignments in the Congress cabinet at the Centre and has handled crucial tasks. He was closely involved in the passage of the Indo-US Nuclear deal, is monitoring important CBI cases and is currently Minister of State not only in the PMO, but also in the Science and Technology, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Parliamentary Affairs ministries. His portfolios have been reallocated for now until the PM returns from his Seoul trip. Human Resource and Development Minister Kapil Sibal has got additional charge of Science and Technology. V Narayanasamy has got additional charge of Parliamentary Affairs. He is already a Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs.

The fact that Chavan is a Maratha also adds weight to his candidature. Marathas are the dominant caste in Maharashtra and the Congress will hope that Chavan will manage power equations with ally NCP - helmed by Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar. Chavan is from Karad in western Maharashtra and is a strong opponent of Sharad Pawar.  

Challenges before Chavan

But there are some not unsubstantial disadvantages. Chavan is seen more as a Delhi man. He has no mass base in Maharashtra. He is currently a Rajya Sabha MP and it has been some time since he fought a Lok Sabha election from the state. He has, thus, been away from the nitty-gritty of on-ground state politics and lacks the necessary connect with party MLAs in the state. He may have to deal with opponents within the state Congress as well as the NCP, with his well-known anti-NCP stance.

To build a relationship with the Congress MLAs shall be his immediate challenge and task. What should help him is the fact that he belongs to an old Congress family and his mother Premala Tai Chavan was a Maharashtra Congress chief. The other challenge shall be to get together different factions within the state Congress which has many local satraps with their mass following.

Chavan will also have to work to turn around the perception of deep-rooted corruption in a coalition that has now ruled for a decade.

Who is Prithviraj Chavan

Prithviraj Chavan is 64 years old and comes from an old, loyal Congress family. He is a Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra, but has contested and won Lok Sabha elections in the past from Karad in Maharashtra. Both his parents were MPs from Karad and his mother was also a PCC chief. 

Chavan was educated at the prestigious BITS, Pilani in Rajasthan where he acquired a Design Engineering degree. He then went for higher studies to the University of California, Berkley, USA. After graduating, he worked in the aerospace industry in USA for a few years, before heading back to India to set up an R&D lab.

In the early eighties, Chavan met Rajiv Gandhi and joined politics. Gandhi gave Chavan a ticket to contest the 1984 elections from Karad and he won, even then in the face of the ire of local political satraps for having got easy access into the fray. Many more Lok Sabha wins followed.

Chavan became a Rajya Sabha MP in 2002. He has also been a Congress spokesman.

He describes himself as an Engineer, Industrialist, Political and Social Worker.