First Deshmukh ministry
The Indian National Congress politician Vilasrao Deshmukh formed his first government after the 1999 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election. The government consisted of Deshmukh's Congress party, Congress Party, several smaller parties, and independent politicians. Deshmukh was sworn in on 18 October 1999 and continued as Chief Minister until his resignation on 16 January 2003.
Government formation
The 1999 elections had returned Congress as the largest legislative party with 75 out of the State's 288 legislative assembly seats. Deshmukh, who had previously served as a cabinet minister in the State was subsequently supported by the Nationalist Congress Party, Peasants and Workers Party of India, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh, Republican Party of India (Gavai), Republican Party of India (Athawale), Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (Secular), and Independents. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) supported the government from outside.The ministry had initially consisted of 61 member. However, coalition partner NCP was concerned with the large size of the cabinet. As a compromise, Deshmukh agreed that his Congress party would drop one cabinet minister and three ministers of state, while the NCP would ask two of its junior ministers to resign.
List of ministers
The cabinet consisted of 55 members - Deshmukh, his Deputy Chhagan Bhujbal, 24 cabinet ministers, and 29 ministers of state.Cabinet ministers
The following ministers were allocated portfolios in October 1999.Ministers of state
The ministers also included the following ministers of state.| Minister of state | Portfolio | Party |
| Manikrao Thakre | Home Affairs, Employment Guarantee Scheme, and Parliamentary Affairs | Congress |
| Vasudhatai Pundlikrao Deshmukh | Finance, Planning, and Public Works | Congress |
| Kripashankar Singh | Home Affairs and Medicines | Congress |
| Eknath Gaikwad | Public Health, Medical Education, and Family Welfare | Congress |
| Balasaheb Thorat | Public Works and Command Area Development | Congress |
| Chandrakant Shivarkar | Public Works and Excise | Congress |
| Anees Ahmed | Higher and Technical Education | Congress |
| Rajendra Darda | Energy and Tourism | Congress |
| Prakash Awade | Textiles, Tribal Development, and Special Assistance | Congress |
| Basavraj Madhavrao Patil | Rural Development | Congress |
| Mohammed Arif Khan | Food and Civil Supplies, and Consumer Protection | Congress |
| A. T. Pawar | Tribal welfare | NCP |
| Laxman Dhoble | General Administration, Social Welfare, and Marketing | NCP |
| Babasaheb Kupekar | Cooperation | NCP |
| Anil Deshmukh | School Education, Information, Sports and Youth Affairs | NCP |
| Jaydattaji Kshirsagar | Industries, Parliamentary Affairs, Trade and Commerce, and Mining | NCP |
| Hemant Deshmukh | Labour, Employment and Self-employment | NCP |
| Vimal Mundada | Women and Child Welfare, Law and Judiciary, Earthquake Rehabilitation and Relief | NCP |
| Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar | Revenue and Rehabilitation | NCP |
| Sunil Tatkare | Urban Development, Urban Land Ceiling, and Ports | NCP |
| Subhash Thakre | Forests and Environment | NCP |
| N. P. Hirani | Protocol and Prohibition Publicity | NCP |
| Meenakshi Patil | Cultural Affairs and Fisheries | Shekapa |
| Mohan Mahadev Patil | Horticulture, Nomadic Tribes, and Backward Class Development | Shekapa |
| Sulekha Kumbhare | Water Supply and Cleanliness | RPI(G) |
| Dada Jadhavrao | Agriculture, and Ex-servicemen's Welfare | JD(S) |
| Ajit Ghorpade | Irrigation | Independent |
| Nawab Malik | Housing, Slum Development, House Repairs, and Wakf | SP |
| Gangadhar Gade | Transport | RPI(A) |