Y.B. Chavan

Yashwantrao Chavan

Yashwantrao Chavan was the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra after the division of Bombay State into Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960. He was part of the Congress party and served as Chief Minister from May 1960 to November 1962. He wanted to develop an Agro-Industrial society with an emphasis on a democratically controlled co-operative sector and regionally balanced economic development of Maharashtra state. Under these policies, Maharashtra became the leading state in India. The law regarding ‘‘Democratic Decentralized Bodies’’ such as Village Panchayats, Panchayat Samits, and Zilla Parishad as well as ‘‘Agricultural Land Ceiling Act’’ was passed during his regime as CM. He is responsible for much of the economic, social and cultural development of Maharashtra as he laid a strong foundation. In 1962, Yashwantrao Chavan was appointed Defense Minister of India in the wake of India-China Border Conflict. After the resignation of Krishna Menon as Defense Minister in 1962, Nehru called upon Yashwantrao Chavan to take charge of the situation. Along with Nehru, he was responsible for negotiating with China to stop the war and come to a ceasefire agreement. He became the leader of the opposition to Indira Gandhi’s government in 1977. In 1978, the Congress split into Congress (I), led by Indira Gandhi and Congress (Urs), led by Devraj Urs. Yashwantrao Chavan left the Congress and joined Congress (Urs) which was later named Indian Congress. He was appointed Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India in the cabinet of Prime Minister Shri Charan Singh, during which time the Janata Dal - a coalition of parties that opposed the Emergency was in power. However, in 1981, Yashwantrao Chavan returned to Congress (I) and in 1982 he was appointed as Chairman of Eight Finance Commission of India. He died in November, 1984.