Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who last month completed four years of his second term in the office, resigned on Thursday. The 63-year-old Deshmukh drove to Raj Bhawan and submitted his resignation to Governor S C Jamir, soon after addressing a press conference where he thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi for giving him an opportunity to be at the helm of affairs in the state on two occasions.

"I have served for so long in the government... it is now my duty to serve the party", Deshmukh said when asked if he would be contesting the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. "The party has to decide whether I should contest Lok Sabha or other election", Deshmukh said.

The development work done by the Congress-NCP government during my tenure would help Congress in winning the next elections, Deshmukh said.

He remained silent on who would succeed him. "The legislature party will decide and Sonia Gandhi will take the final decision", he said.

Asked about any regret during his tenure, Deshmukh pointed to the Mumbai terror attacks, adding "we could not save so many lives lost in the war against India".

At the press conference, Deshmukh was flanked by MPCC president Manikrao Thakre and working president Jaywantrao Awale.

Maharashtra's 2nd longest serving CM

From a village sarpanch in Latur district to being at the helm of affairs of Maharashtra for two terms, Vilasrao Deshmukh had an impressive run in the whirlpool of state politics, becoming its second longest serving chief minister.

A politician with considerable experience in the legislative and administrative matters, Deshmukh had so far weathered repeated attempts to dislodge him from the top post before the Mumbai terror attacks did him in.

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