Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh was born in Babhalgaon, Latur district, in Maharashtra on May 26, 1945. He completed his graduation in science and arts from M.E.S Abasaheb Garware College, Pune.
1974: After studying law from ILS Law College, Pune, he entered active politics in 1974.
1975: He got married on May 29 and has three sons.
From Babhalgaon Village Panchayat member to the Deputy Chairman of Latur District Panchayat Committee, Deshmukh slowly worked his way up and became the Osmanabad District President of the Indian National Congress in 1975.
1980: Deshmukh was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from the Latur constituency in 1980. In 1982, Chief Minister Babasaheb Bhosale appointed Deshmukh as State Minister in Maharashtra cabinet.
Till 1995, Deshmukh continued his winning streak and held key portfolios as Cabinet Minister in the Maharashtra government. The portfolios included Home, Public Works, Revenue, Education, Transport and Agriculture.
1999-2003: He was re-elected from the Latur Constituency in the 1999 elections with a huge winning margin of 91,000 votes and elected as Chief Minister of Maharashtra by the Congress party. However, factionalism within the party saw him stepping down in January 2003 to make way for Dalit leader Sushilkumar Shinde.
2004: Deshmukh again took oath as Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
2008: He took the moral responsibility for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and resigned from the post.He also courted controversy when he visted the Taj Hotel, which was attacked by the terrorists, with film maker Ram Gopal Verma and his actor-son Riteish.
2009: 2009, Deshmukh became member of the Rajya Sabha and was appointed Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in the UPA-II government. Later he replaced Mani Shankar Iyer as minister of state for Rural Development.
2011: Deshmukh was elected as President of the Mumbai Cricket Association in 2011.
In another Cabinet reshuffle, Deshmukh was appointed as Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences on July 12
2012: An affidavit filed in the Bombay High Court on April 27 alleged that Deshmukh might own two flats through proxies in the Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai. The affidavit was filed by social activist Pravin Wategaonkar. The probe is still underway into the Adarsh Housing Society scam.
According to a 2012 CAG Report, Deshmukh, as Chief Minister in 2005 allotted a plot of land in Mumbai to the The Manjra Charitable Trust,allegedly run by his family, The market value of the land was worth Rs. 30 crore, but it was allotted for Rs. 6.56 crore.
On August 7, 2012, Deshmukh was admitted to Global Hospitals in Chennai after he suffered ‘liver failure’. He passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 14.
Compiled by Soyesh Rawther
