From the sarpanch of Babhulgaon in Latur district to the chief minister of Maharashtra, it has been a long journey for Vilasrao Deshmukh. Despite his casual and indifferent attitude, he became chief minister twice, notwithstanding the fact that several sections of society were unhappy with him and his governance.

For instance, when the issue of land-grab of wakf properties became an issue and his brother was named in one of the cases, Deshmukh announced a slew of measures for minorities, established a separate department, and kept it all under his control. Cabinet minister Anees Ahmed (Congress), who had launched the campaign on the wakf properties, was left fuming.

Deshmukh was groomed in politics by former Union minister S B Chavan, who was a staunch critic of Sharad Pawar.

Deshmukh’s rise in politics is also attributed to his qualities of finding and cultivating well-wishers (read godfathers). Hence, whenever, he found himself in a crisis, his well-wishers would bail him out.

And thus, though he faced opposition from both within the party and outside, he managed to survive campaigns launched by his bete noires like former PCC chief Prabha Rau and former AICC in charge of state affairs Margaret Alva.

Deshmukh’s sarcasm has landed him in trouble many a time. While addressing a farmers’ rally in the cotton belt of Vidarbha, which had reported a number of suicides by farmers, he had said the local farmers were so cunning that they not only mixed substandard cotton with better quality one but also concealed stones in bales to increase their weight.

... contd.