Eknath Shinde is the fourth CM of Maharashtra who hails from Satara district. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who himself has roots in the western Maharashtra district, noted this in a tweet.
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.
While Pawar, another former CM, is mainly associated with Baramati in Pune district, the NCP leader told reporters that his family has roots in Koregaon tehsil of Satara. “After late Yashwantrao Chavan, Babasaheb Bhosale and Pritiviraj Chavan, another Satara-kar has taken over as the CM,” Pawar tweeted.
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.