Maharashtra urban development minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde pushed the ruling Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) government into a political crisis on Tuesday after he, along with 10 other MLAs moved to a hotel in Gujarat's Surat. 14 other MLAs have also turned rebels, according to reports.

Shinde is expected to address the media today, while Congress and Shiv Sena have been holding meetings to assess the situation.

But who is Eknath Shinde - the man at the centre of Maharashtra’s political crisis?

Shinde, with a considerable clout in the Sena stronghold Thane, is the Maharashtra Cabinet Minister of Urban Development and Public Works (Public Undertaking).

Currently a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Kopri-Pachpakhadi (Vidhan Sabha constituency) of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde has been elected for four back-to-back terms in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly — 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019.

Following the 2014 elections, he was elected as the leader of Shiv Sena's legislative party and was subsequently elected as the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly.

His son Shrikant Shinde is a Member of Parliament (MP) from Kalyan while his brother Prakash Shinde is a Councilor.

Shinde joined the Shiv Sena in 1980 after being influenced by Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray and participated in several agitations during that period. Shinde was imprisonment for 40 days following an agitation over the Belgavi border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Shinde enjoys popular ground support and was also given the coveted post of Shiv Sena Thane District Head after 2005. He is in charge of organising the party's big events and is often termed as the ‘most approachable person' in the party.

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(Edited by : Akanksha Upadhyay)

First Published:Jun 21, 2022 1:52 PM IST