Fadnavis resolves Mahayuti tussle over guardian ministership, BJP retains Nashik, Sena gets Raigad

The tussle among the ruling allies continued for over a year and a half after Fadnavis appointed Mahajan as Nashik’s guardian minister and the NCP’s Aditi Tatkare as Raigad’s guardian minister on January 19, 2025. Shiv Sena president and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde strongly objected to the appointments

MUMBAI: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has resolved the dispute between his two ruling allies—the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP—over the guardian minister positions for Raigad and Nashik districts. While the BJP has retained the Nashik post with Girish Mahajan being appointed, the Raigad position has been allotted to the Shiv Sena’s Bharat Gogawale, bringing an end to a prolonged tussle within the Mahayuti coalition.

The three ruling parties shared districts between themselves mostly on the basis of their MLAs’ strengths in their respective districts. However, the tug-of-war in the Nashik and Raigad districts was a prolonged one due to various reasons. The BJP and Sena had staked a claim on Nashik while the Sena and NCP were haggling for Raigad district (Hindustan Times)

Every district has a minister in charge to oversee development work and handle situations arising out of natural or man-made emergencies. The three ruling parties shared districts between themselves mostly on the basis of their MLAs’ strengths in their respective districts. However, the tug-of-war in the Nashik and Raigad districts was a prolonged one due to various reasons. The BJP and Sena had staked a claim on Nashik while the Sena and NCP were haggling for Raigad district.

The tussle among the ruling allies continued for over a year and a half after Fadnavis appointed Mahajan as Nashik’s guardian minister and the NCP’s Aditi Tatkare as Raigad’s guardian minister on January 19, 2025. Shiv Sena president and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde strongly objected to the appointments, following which Fadnavis stayed the decision within 24 hours.

In Raigad, the dispute was largely driven by the rivalry between Gogawale and Sunil Tatkare, state NCP president and Raigad MP. Aditi Tatkare, Tatkare’s daughter, is a two-term MLA from Shrivardhan, while Gogawale, a four-term MLA, represents Mahad. Both constituencies fall within Raigad district.

According to NCP insiders, the Shiv Sena-NCP dispute was eventually resolved through a political understanding. “The Sena agreed to help Tatkare’s son, Aniket, in the recent MLC election, after which he was elected unopposed from the Konkan local body constituency. The deal was done in exchange for the Raigad guardian minister position,” a senior NCP insider said. The rivalry between the two parties had escalated to the point where local leaders engaged in public spats and threatened to expose each other by releasing objectionable videos.

“Nashik’s guardian minister post was with the BJP even in previous governments,” said a BJP insider. “The position has become more important because of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela, and the chief minister wants someone who can effectively oversee the preparations.”

This is not the first time the Shiv Sena and NCP have clashed over the Raigad guardian minister’s post. During the previous Eknath Shinde-led government, the conflict escalated to the level of union home minister Amit Shah. Eventually, senior Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant was given charge of the district.

The lure of the guardian minister’s post

A guardian minister is a cabinet minister assigned charge of a particular district to oversee its development and local planning. A guardian minister acts as the government’s chief coordinator in the district and monitors the implementation of government policies and programmes. The minister also heads the District Planning Committee, which plays a key role in determining the allocation and utilisation of development funds for the district.