Deshmukh also briefly served as a minister in the First Sharad Pawar ministry in 1978, and later in 1999, when PWP supported the Congress-NCP alliance. Ganpatrao is considered as clean n Ideological politician official website of ganpatrao deshmukh is - (Marathi Language)
In 2012, the government and the Assembly congratulated him upon his completing 50 years as a member.
Deshmukh was first elected to the State Assembly in the 1962 elections, and since then won every election, except for the 1972 and 1995 elections. In the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election, 2014 at the age of eighty-eight, he won the Sangole constituency for a record 11th time with 94,374 votes, defeating Shahajibapu Patil of Shiv Sena by 25,224 votes, while the NCP did not field a candidate against him ( Dipak Aba Salunkhe Patil ( NCP Candidate )supported to Ganapatrao deshmukh every time ).
He is the longest serving member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly having been elected 11 times, during the last 54 years, from Sangole in Solapur district.
