CM’s Troubleshooter

He came to be known as the saviour of the Eknath Shinde government in the state over past couple of years. He remained a prominent negotiator when it came to negotiations with Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil. He was also there at Davos to sign several MOUs that the government flaunted later. It can be seen that he is building his power. He is Uday Samant.

Born in a traditionally landlord family hailing from Sindhudurg district, money was never an issue for Uday Samant. His father Ravindra Samant had channelled the inherited family wealth in the contract business and the family had already came to be known as the prominent contractors by the time Uday completed his diploma in engineering. After a brief stint in Shiv Sena, Samant came into contact with NCP’s Gurunath Kulkarni which led to his meteoric rise on the political arena. Kulkarni groomed Samant and ensured that the party trusted the young leader. Samant reciprocated with sparkling results.

In 2004 NCP fielded Uday Samant in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election from Ratnagiri constituency. His victory marked the beginning of a series of successful elections. He was re-elected in 2009, 2014, and 2019. For a brief period towards the end of UPA regimen in 2014 he served as the Minister of State for Urban Development. After switching over to the Shiv Sena in 2014, he concentrated on building his network within the party organization in his home district. One of the notable milestones in Samant’s career was his appointment as the Minister of Higher and Technical Education in 2019. That gave him the much needed opportunity to grow across the state.

During the rebellion, he was the last person to switch side to join Eknath Shinde. After a meeting with the then Chief Minister Uddahv Thackeray he went ‘not reachable’ and emerged in the Shinde camp at Guwahati putting an end to speculations that the rebellion might fizzle out. He got the reward and in 2022 Uday Samant was appointed as the Cabinet Minister for the Ministry of Industries in the Eknath Shinde-led government. While junking all the allegations levelled by the MVA allies he demonstrated how the government promoted industrial growth and development in the state.

Samant is known for his dynamic leadership, strategic vision, and unwavering dedication to public service. He also emerged as the biggest trouble shooter for CM Eknath Shinde over past two and half years. From demonstrating industrial growth in the state to countering the opposition’s claims and pacifying agitators opposing the mega projects and holding fruitful negotiations with agitators and building party network in the Konkan region Samant proved his mettle. His role after the current assembly elections would be worth watching as to how he uses his qualities and abilities.