After India's independence, most of Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

's political history was dominated by the Indian National Congress

Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

 party. Maharashtra became a bastion of the Congress party producing stalwarts such as Yashwantrao Chavan

Yashwantrao Chavan

Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan was the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra after the division of Bombay State and the fifth Deputy Prime Minister of India. He was a strong Congress leader, Cooperative leader, social activist and writer. He was popularly known as Leader of Common People...

, Vasantdada Patil

Vasantdada Patil

Vasantdada Patil was an Indian politician from Sangli, Maharashtra. He was known as the first modern Maratha strongman and first mass leader in Maharashtra's politics....

, Shankarrao Chavan

Shankarrao Chavan

Shankarrao Bhavrao Chavan was an Indian politician who served twice as Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1975 until 1977 and from 13 March 1986 until 24 June 1988...

, Vasantrao Naik

Vasantrao Naik

Vasantrao Naik was an Indian politician who served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1963 until 1975. He was born in Gavli, Pusad in 1913. His experience in grassroots politics made him a responsible legislator...

 and Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar

Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar , popularly known as SAHEB , is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress...

. The party enjoyed near unchallenged dominance of the political landscape until 1995 when the Shiv Sena

Shiv Sena

Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...

 and the Bharatiya Janata Party

Bharatiya Janata Party

The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...

 (BJP) secured an overwhelming majority in the state to form a coalition

Coalition

A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...

. After a split in the Congress party, former chief minister Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar

Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar , popularly known as SAHEB , is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress...

 formed the Nationalist Congress Party

Nationalist Congress Party

The Nationalist Congress Party is a centre to centre left political party primarily based in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Background:...

 (NCP), but formed a coalition with the Congress to keep out the BJP-SS combine. Prithviraj Chavan

Prithviraj Chavan

Prithviraj Chavan is the current Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The Indian National Congress selected him to be the successor of Ashok Chavan. He is a Member of the Parliament of India representing Maharashtra in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament...

 of Congress party is the current Chief Minister

Chief Minister

A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...

of Maharashtra.