The

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British ...

politician

Vilasrao Deshmukh Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh (26 May 1945 – 14 August 2012) was an Indian politician who served as the 14th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, first term from 18 October 1999 to 16 January 2003 and second term, from 1 November 2004 to 5 ...

formed his first government after the

1999 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election Assembly elections was held in Maharashtra, India in two phases on September 5, 1999, and September 11, 1999. Election results were declared on October 7, 1999. The major parties were Bharatiya Janata Party - Shiv Sena (Yuti) alliance, Congress ...

. The government consisted of Deshmukh's Congress party,

Nationalist Congress Party The Nationalist Congress Party ( NCP) is one of the nine national parties in India. The party generally supports Indian nationalism and Gandhian secularism. It is the largest opposition party in Maharashtra and is also a significant party ...

, several smaller parties, and independent politicians. Deshmukh was sworn in on October 18, 1999 and continued as

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

until his resignation on January 16, 2003.

Government formation

The

1999 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1999. * 1999 electoral calendar Africa * 1999 Algerian presidential election * 1999 Botswana general election * 1999 Beninese parliamentary election * 1999 Central African Republic presidential elect ...

had returned

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

as the largest legislative party with 75 out of the State's 288 legislative assembly seats. Deshmukh, who had previously served as a cabinet minister in the State was subsequently supported by the

Peasants and Workers Party of India The Peasants and Workers Party of India is a Marxist political party in Maharashtra, India. The party was founded on 13.06.1948, having its roots from the pre-Independence period and has around 1,00,000 members. The influence of the party is lar ...

Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh The Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh ( IAST: Bhāripa Bahujana Mahāsaṅgha; BBM) was an Indian political party founded by Prakash Ambedkar on 4 July 1994. The party was a splinter group of the Republican Party of India and had its roots in the Sched ...

Republican Party of India (Gavai) The Republican Party of India (Gawai) is a political party in India. It is a splinter group of the Republican Party of India. The leaders are former Governor of Kerala R. S. Gavai and his son Rajendra Gawai.The current President of the Republi ...

Republican Party of India (Athawale) The Republican Party of India (Athawale) ( RPI(A)) is a political party in India. The party is a splinter group of the Republican Party of India and has its roots in the Scheduled Castes Federation led by B. R. Ambedkar. The president of the p ...

Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi Party ( SP; translation: ''Socialist Party'', founded 4 October 1992) is a socialist political party in India, headquartered in New Delhi but mainly based in Uttar Pradesh, with significant presence in other states as well. With ...

Janata Dal (Secular) The Janata Dal (Secular) is an Indian political party led by former prime minister of India, H. D. Deve Gowda. The party is recognized as a State Party in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh. It was formed in July 1999 by t ...

, and Independents. The

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxist–Leninist communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in terms of membership and electoral seats and one of the na ...

supported the government from outside. The ministry had initially consisted of 61 member. However, coalition partner NCP was concerned with the large size of the cabinet. As a compromise, Deshmukh agreed that his Congress party would drop one cabinet minister and three ministers of state, while the NCP would ask two of its junior ministers to resign.

List of ministers

The cabinet consisted of 55 members - Deshmukh, his Deputy

Chhagan Bhujbal Chhagan Bhujbal (born 15 October 1947) is an Indian politician from Maharashtra. Currently he is Member of 14th Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra from Yeola Assembly. He also served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 18 Octobe ...

, 24

cabinet ministers A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countries ...

, and 29

ministers of state Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

Cabinet ministers

The following ministers were allocated portfolios in October 1999.

Ministers of state

The ministers also included the following ministers of state.

References

{{Maharashtra state government ministries Indian National Congress 1999 in Indian politics D Nationalist Congress Party Cabinets established in 1999 Cabinets disestablished in 2003