Ashok Shankarrao Chavan is the present Chief Minister of Maharashtra, replacing Vilasrao Deshmukh after the latter resigned following the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Chavan was sworn in on 8 December 2008, after the Indian National Congress party selected him to be Deshmukh's replacement on 5 December 2008. He also serves as Minister for Cultural Affairs, Industries, Mines and Protocol. Chavan is son of former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shankarrao Chavan; his appointment would make them the first father-son duo in the state's history to become chief ministers.

He has graduated in Science and has obtained his Masters in Business Management. He started his political career as General Secretary, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. In the year 87-88 he was elected as Member of Parliament from Nanded (Lok Sabha constituency). In 1992 he was Elected as M.L.C from the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Constituency and later joined as Minister of State for Public works, Urban Development and Home in March 1993. In 2003, Chavan became minister for Transport, Ports, Cultural Affairs and Protocol. In November 2004, Chavan became Minister for Industries, Mining, Cultural Affairs & Protocol. He was the General Secretary of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee from 1995 to 1999. He is the president of Sai Sevabhavi Trust Nanded, a charitable voluntary organisation.

Ashok Chavan had emerged the top choice of the Congress legislature party in Maharashtra after a central team carried out an assessment exercise among the MLAs, MLCs and MPs on who should succeed Vilasrao Deshmukh as chief minister.

As indicated by TOI, the majority view, top sources said, backed Ashok Chavan while the second choice was former Shiv Sainik Narayan Rane.

Despite finishing second best, Rane continued to lobby hard in a spirit of do-or-die. He was threatening not to work under Chavan.

Whether Chavan should get the top job, the central leadership had to discuss the report of senior leaders Pranab Mukherjee and A K Antony with ally and NCP chief Sharad Pawar which would be followed by final endorsement from Sonia Gandhi.

Pawar had been lukewarm towards Chavan, after his first choice of union power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde was ignored well before the race began. Congress had clearly plumped for a Maratha to lead the party in the state, and had ignored the NCP view that it go for a non-Maratha to set right the social combination.

The AICC had felt that replacing Deshmukh with a non-Maratha would disadvantage the party in comparison to the NCP which is led by the tallest Maratha leader in the state.

As a result, NCP chose a non-Maratha, Chhagan Bhujbal to man the deputy CM's post and gave the home ministry to Jayant Patil. The latter being a Maratha balanced the NCP's own bid to remain the community's first choice.

On 20 February 2009, Rane was inducted into the cabinet and was made the Minister of Industry.