Maharashtra political turmoil: Who is Ekanth Shinde?

NEW DELHI: A day after suspected cross-voting in Maharashtra legislative council (MLC) polls, prominent Shiv Sena leader and state cabinet minister Eknath Shinde has reportedly gone inaccessible with 11 party MLAs. Shinde, along with some Sena MLAs moved to a hotel in Surat in Gujarat.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also confirmed the developments and said, "Some MLAs of Shiv Sena and Eknath Shinde are currently not reachable. Efforts are being made to topple the MVA government but BJP has to remember that Maharashtra is very different from Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh."
Who is Ekanth Shinde?
*Shinde is a senior leader in Shiv Sena and has been instrumental in strengthening the organisation in Thane.
*His son Shrikant Shinde is a Lok Sabha MP from Kalyan and his brother Prakash Shinde is a Councillor.
*Shinde hails from the Maratha community of Jawali taluka in Satara.
*A Bal Thackeray loyalist, Shinde is reportedly upset with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
*Shinde has been elected an MLA for four times -- in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019.
*Shinde was made the leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra legislative assembly in 2014 after the Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP.
*He was appointed a cabinet minister in the MVA government. However, he has been feeling sidelined since the formation of the MVA government.