4 minutes of readingBombayUpdated: Jan 31, 2026 08:46 pm IST
With the Swearing-in of Sunetra Pawar as 13th Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the first woman to hold the position, attention has once again been focused on an office that has no place in the Constitution but plays an important role in state politics. Formally, a Deputy Chief Minister is just a cabinet minister with an additional title. In practice, in Maharashtra’s coalition-driven, faction-ridden politics, the position has become a key tool for sharing power, managing alliances and signaling political clout within the government.
What is the position of Deputy Chief Minister?
The Constitution provides for a Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister, but does not mention a Deputy Chief Minister. In legal terms, a deputy CM is just a cabinet minister appointed under Article 164 who is given an additional title by the ruling party or coalition. The position has no separate powers and is not above other cabinet ministers.
If it does not have constitutional status, why does the position exist?
Although the position does not have constitutional status, it exists for political reasons. Governments appoint deputy chief ministers to balance coalition partners, manage rival leaders within parties, give representation to regions or communities and signal how power is shared. As coalition governments became more common after the end of one-party rule, the office emerged as a practical way of distributing authority without altering the formal structure of government.
History of deputy chief ministers in Maharashtra
Maharashtra first created the post of Deputy Chief Minister in 1978, when Nashikrao Tirpude assumed office during a phase of political instability, followed by brief tenures under Congress and Congress separatist regimes. The post gained real political weight in 1995, when Gopinath Munde served as deputy CM in the Shiv Sena-BJP government, making it a center of authority rather than a mere balancing post.
Under the Congress-NCP coalitions after 1999, the office became institutionalized as a power-sharing device, with leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal, RR Patil and especially Ajit Pawar, the longest-serving deputy CM, using it as a key base of influence. Since 2019, fractured mandates and partisan divisions have led to experiments with multiple deputy CMs, including Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shindeand this year the office enters a new phase with Sunetra Pawar becoming the first woman to hold the position. This underlines how the role has evolved from a temporary fit to become a central instrument of coalition management and power sharing in Maharashtra.
Why is the post important in Maharashtra?
The position has greater importance in Maharashtra than in many other states because of the way power has been structured in the state. Maharashtra has been ruled for long periods by coalition governments, making power-sharing arrangements necessary for stability. Deputy Chief Ministers have therefore often been assigned key portfolios, such as Finance or Home Affairs, which put them in charge of crucial decisions on spending, public order and administration.
Can a deputy CM overrule the Chief Minister?
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No. Legally, a deputy CM is equal to other cabinet ministers. The Chief Minister remains the head of the government and the Deputy Chairman of the Ministry has no special constitutional authority.
In practice, a deputy CM’s influence depends on his assigned portfolio, control over party MLAs, his position within the ruling coalition, and his ability to negotiate across factions. A Deputy CM of Finance or Home Affairs can wield much more influence than one from a lesser department.
