Technocrat-politician Prithviraj Chavan, thrust into the mantle of Maharashtra Government's leadership, is the latest state politician who would be sworn in as the Chief Minister although he is not a member of either House of the state legislature.
64-year-old Chavan, a member of the Rajya Sabha, will have to get elected to either the state Assembly or Council within six months of being sworn in. He succeeds Ashok Chavan, who was forced to quit over his alleged role in the Adarsh scam.
In 1980, AR Antulay became the first politician in Maharashtra to be sworn in as CM while not a legislator. He was then a member of Rajya Sabha. After becoming the Chief Minister, Antulay contested the Assembly bypoll and won with over 90,000 votes.
In 1986, Ashok Chavan's father, the late S B Chavan, was a member of Lok Sabha when he came to the state from the Centre and was sworn in as Chief Minister. He later became an MLC.
In 1993, Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar, who is now a member of the Union ministry like Prithviraj Chavan, was sworn in as CM while not member of either House in the state.
When Sushilkumar Shinde became the chief minister in 2003, replacing Vilasrao Deshmukh, he was a Lok Sabha member.
