12 Facts About Babasaheb Bhosale

Babasaheb Anantrao Bhosale was an Indian lawyer and politician who served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra from January 1982 until February 1983.

In 1978, Babasaheb Bhosale contested and lost the Assembly election for the Nehrunagar in Kurla, Mumbai as a candidate of the Congress Party.

Babasaheb Bhosale was chosen as chief minister by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in a move that snubbed senior Maratha leaders and surprised many including Babasaheb Bhosale himself.

Babasaheb Bhosale initiated several welfare measures for freedom fighters including a pension scheme for them and cracked down on a strike by policemen, dissolving the policemen's union that had the support of several senior Congress leaders.

At the Vithoba Temple in Pandharpur, Babasaheb Bhosale's intervention led to the abolition of the system of 'Badwe' that had been a source of harassment to the devotees there.

Babasaheb Bhosale was well regarded for his wit and sense of humour.

Babasaheb Bhosale's rule ended on 1 February 1983 following Vasantdada Patil's election to the chief ministership by legislators of the Congress Party.

Babasaheb Bhosale's cabinet had several people who went on to hold important offices later including Pratibha Patil who went on to become the President of India and Vilasrao Deshmukh who became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Babasaheb Bhosale was the son-in-law of Tulsidas Jadhav, a freedom fighter and Rajya Sabha member who sided with Indira Gandhi when she split the Indian National Congress in 1969.

Babasaheb Bhosale's brother Shivajirao Bhosale was a vice-chancellor of Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University.

Babasaheb Bhosale's elder daughter, Mrs Shanta Yadav retired as professor, his son Ashok is an entrepreneur, his daughter Saroj Babasaheb Bhosale is a business woman, his son Dilip was a judicial member of the Lokpal.

Babasaheb Bhosale died at the Bombay Hospital in Mumbai on 6 October 2007 at the age of 86.