Ashok Chavan

Ashok Shankarrao Chavan (Marathi: अशोक चव्हाण) (born 28 October 1958 (age 52)) was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Chavan was sworn in on 8 December 2008, after his political party, the Indian National Congress and Vilasrao Deshmukh selected him to be Vilasrao Deshmukh's successor on 5 December 2008. He earlier served as Minister for Cultural Affairs, Industries, Mines and Protocol in Vilasrao Deshmukh government. Chavan is son of former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shankarrao Chavan and they are the first father–son duo in the state's history to become chief ministers.Chavan was asked to resign as Chief Minister during a meeting with Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, after it emerged that three of his relatives were house-owners of a government housing society in upmarket Colaba.

Political career

He graduated in Science and has obtained his Master's in Business Management.He started his political career as General Secretary, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. In 1987–88, he was elected as Member of Parliament from Nanded Lok Sabha constituency. In 1992, he was elected as M.L.C to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and later joined as Minister of State for Public works, Urban Development and Home in March 1993. In 2003, Vilasrao Deshmukh appointed Chavan as Minister for Transport, Ports, Cultural Affairs and Protocol. In November 2004, Chavan became Minister for Industries, Mining, Cultural Affairs & Protocol. He was the General Secretary of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee from 1995 to 1999. He is the President of Sai Sevabhavi Trust Nanded, a charitable voluntary organisation.

Sharad Pawar, the regional satrap, had been lukewarm towards Chavan, after his first choice of union power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde was ignored well before the race began. Congress had clearly plumped for a Maratha to lead the party in the state, and had ignored the NCP view that it go for a non-Maratha to set right the social combination.

As a result, NCP chose a non-Maratha, Chhagan Bhujbal to man the deputy CM's post and gave the home ministry to Jayant Patil. The latter being a Maratha balanced the NCP's own bid to remain the community's first choice.

On 20 February 2009, Narayan Rane was inducted into the cabinet and was made the Minister of Industry.

After winning assembly elections in 2009, Congress President Sonia Gandhi named Ashok Chavan as next Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Controversy, Scams and Allegations
 Adarsh Housing Society Scam

On March 14, 2011 Defence Minister A. K. Antony told Parliament that Ashok Chavan is one of the 13 people named by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Adarsh Housing Society Scam.

Chavan was accused of nepotism when he gave two flats in the Adarsh Housing society in Colaba to some of his close relatives, the society was originally meant for war widows. Chavan was summoned to Delhi where he offered to resign before party chief Sonia Gandhi. He was asked to tender his resignation to Governor K Sankaranarayanan, pending an inquiry into the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam in Mumbai. His successor as chief minister of Maharashtra is Prithviraj Chavan.