Balasaheb Thorat

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Balasaheb Thorat
Cabinet Minister
Government of Maharashtra
In office
28 November 2019 – 29 June 2022
Minister
GovernorBhagat Singh Koshyari
Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray
Preceded byChandrakant Bacchu Patil
In office
2004–2014
Minister
  • Revenue
  • Agriculture,
  • Water Conservation,
  • Employment Guarantee Scheme
  • School Education
Governor
Chief Minister
Succeeded by
Minister of State, Government of Maharashtra
In office
1999–2004
MinisterAgriculture
GovernorP.C. Alexander,
Mohammed Fazal
Chief MinisterVilasrao Deshmukh,
Sushilkumar Shinde
Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
Assumed office
1985
Preceded byBhausaheb Thorat
Parliamentary groupIndian National Congress
ConstituencySangamner
President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee
In office
07 July 2019 – 5 February 2021
National President Indian National CongressSonia Gandhi
Preceded byAshok Chavan
Succeeded byNana Patole
Leader of INC Legislative Party
Assumed office
24 November 2019
National President Indian National CongressSonia Gandhi
Preceded byPrithviraj Chavan
Secretary of Maha Vikas Aghadi
Assumed office
26 November 2019
PresidentUddhav Thackeray
ChairpersonSharad Pawar
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born
Vijay Bhausaheb Thorat

(1953-02-07) 7 February 1953 (age 72)
NationalityIndian
Political partyHand INC.svg Indian National Congress
Other political
affiliations		Independent
Children3 daughters & 1 son
ResidenceJorve, Taluka Sangamner, District Ahmednagar, Tapalcha Patta, Sudarshan, 7 Shivjinagar, Sangamner--422605
EducationFergusson College B.A, ILS Law College, Pune L.L.B
Nickname(s)Balasaheb

Vijay Bhausaheb Thorat (Marathi pronunciation: [baːɭaːsaːɦeb t̪ʰoɾaːt̪], born 7 February 1953) is an Indian politician who was minister for revenue in Maharashtra state.[1] He is an Indian National Congress legislator from Sangamner constituency.

Thorat is a key figure in the cooperative movement and is the founder of a milk co-operative and former president of the Sangamner District and State Cooperative Bank.

He is recognised for his work in Sangamner taluka and Akole taluka. He has founded cooperative educational institutions in Sangamner. Previously, he served as Minister of Agriculture and as Minister of Revenue, and Khar Lands in the Government of Maharashtra.[2][3][4]

Early life[edit]

Thorat was born on 7 February 1953 to late Bhausaheb Thorat. He was named as Vijay. His father Bhausaheb Thorat was a peasant leader in Maharashtra and a one-time legislator from Sangamner constituency. Bhausaheb Thorat defeated the then political heavyweight of Maharashtra B. J. Khatal-Patil, a minister in the Maharashtra's government for sixteen-years, in the 1978 Assembly elections as a candidate of INC.

Education[edit]

Thorat obtained his LLB degree from ILS Law College, Pune in 1977 and BA from Ferguson college, Pune University in 1975.

Political career[edit]

He began his political career as an Independent and fought for the Sangamner Vidhan Sabha seat and won with a margin of 10,159 votes on Shakuntala Khanderao Horat. From then he never looked back and won 8 assembly elections never getting defeated in any elections as a candidate of INC.

He was the Minister of State for agriculture in the first Vilasrao Deshmukh's government. Later in 2004 he was elevated to the rank of cabinet minister along with Anil Deshmukh of NCP. He was one of those few leaders in Maharashtra who served as ministers in the 15-year Congress-NCP alliance. He served as the minister of Agriculture, Water Conservation, Employment Guarantee Scheme and Additional charge of School Education in Prithviraj Chavan's cabinet. He is a well-known and a leading face in the cooperative movement of Maharashtra. His nephew Satyajeet Tambe Patil is also a politician in Ahmadnagar district and a two-time member of Ahmadnagar Municipality. He always helps poor people of sangamner and Akole taluka

Thorat was made the MPCC chief in 2019 when Ashok Chavan resigned following the weak performance of the party in the Lok Sabha elections. Thorat had to battle with the large-scale defections from his party to the ruling alliance. Due to defections the congress's tally in the assembly fell down decisively.

Under his leadership the party improved its tally from 31 legislators in the assembly to 44 legislators. After the 2019 political turmoil in Maharashtra with the formation of a post-poll alliance called Maha Vikas Aghadi by the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena, Thorat was sworn in as a minister in the Uddhav Thackeray administration.

Political statistics[edit]

SI No. Year Assembly Cnstituency Opponent Votes Difference Result
1. 1985 Sangamner Shakuntala Khanderao Horat (INC) 40218-30059 10159 Won
2. 1990 Sangamner Vasantrao Sakharam Gunjal (BJP) 57465-52603 4862 Won
3. 1995 Sangamner Bapusaheb Namdeo Gulave (Independent) 73611-58957 14654 Won
4. 1999 Sangamner Bapusaheb Namdeo Gulave (Shiv Sena) 61975-40524 21451 Won
5. 2004 Sangamner Sambhajirao Ramchandra Thorat (Shiv Sena) 120058-44301 75757 Won
6. 2009 Sangamner Babasaheb Dhondiba Kute (Shiv Sena) 96686-41310 55376 Won
7. 2014 Sangamner Janardan Mhatarba Aher (Shiv Sena) 103564-44759 58805 Won
8. 2019 Sangamner Sahebrao Ramchandra Navale (Shiv Sena) 125380-63128 62252 Won

Positions held[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "Balasaheb Bhausaheb Thorat". India Leader. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020.
  2. ↑ "Sonia Gandhi appoints Balasaheb Bhausaheb Thorat as CLP leader in Maharashtra". Prafulla Marpakwar. The Times of India. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  3. ↑ "Balasaheb Thorat is new Maharashtra Congress chief". Free Press Journal. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  4. ↑ "7-time MLA Balasaheb Thorat is pick to end Congress factionalism in Maharashtra". Hindustan Times. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
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