NCP refuses to concede Raigad guardian ministership to Sena, impasse continues

Twelve days after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis put on hold the appointment of guardian ministers in Raigad and Nashik districts following an objection by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the impasse over the appointments continues

MUMBAI: Twelve days after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis put on hold the appointment of guardian ministers in Raigad and Nashik districts following an objection by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the impasse over the appointments continues. Fadnavis, who was in Davos to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum when the fracas and the stay happened, returned around a week ago but has still been unable to solve the issue.

Mumbai, India - June 28, 2024: Dy CM & Finance minister Ajit Pawar along Deepak Keserkar shows budget bag before presenting the budget of 2024-2025, during monsoon session at Vidhan Bhavan, in Mumbai, India, on Friday, June 28, 2024. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Fadnavis had appointed the NCP’s Aditi Tatkare as guardian minister of Raigad and the BJP’s Girish Mahajan as guardian minister of Nashik on January 19. Within 24 hours of his releasing the list of guardian ministers, however, Shinde forced him to stay the appointments because he wanted them for his ministers, Bharat Gogawale and Dada Bhuse.

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, however, has staunchly refused to let go of Raigad. “It is the only district in the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region where we have got a guardian minister position,” said a senior NCP leader. “Besides, it is not good for the party’s image if a post is taken back after being given to us.” Shinde, on his part, is insisting that the Sena has more MLAs in Raigad district than the NCP and thus deserves the position.

An NCP MLA said that the party leadership had made it clear to Fadnavis that he should come out with another resolution, as Gogawale, who has laid claim to Raigad, was a first-term minister as opposed to the NCP’s Aditi Tatkare. “Moreover, the local BJP leadership from the district is also against Gogawale,” he pointed out. He was referring to the three BJP MLAs—Ravisheth Patil (Pen), Mahesh Baldi (Uran) and Prashant Thakur (Panvel)—whose constituencies fall in Raigad district.

Raigad has been a bone of contention between the Shiv Sena and NCP owing to the rivalry between Gogawale and state NCP president and Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare. Aditi is Tatkare’s daughter and is a two-term MLA from Shrivardhan assembly constituency which falls in Raigad district, while four-term MLA Gogawale represents Mahad assembly constituency, also part of the same district.

This is not the first time that the Sena and NCP have fought over the Raigad guardian minister position. In the previous government too, the Gogawale-versus-Aditi issue had to be escalated to union home minister Amit Shah, and senior Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant was handed the post. This time the infighting between the two ruling parties has reached a point where local leaders have been threatening to expose one another by releasing objectionable videos.

For the Nashik guardian minister post, the struggle is between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. The BJP is unwilling to concede the position, as it wants it for its minister Girish Mahajan, who, besides being a close confidante of CM Fadnavis and holding the position in the past, has been earmarked to supervise the Nashik Kumbh Mela in 2027. On Friday, Mahajan openly said he was keen on getting the position. “There are only one and a half years left for the Nashik Kumbh Mela, and thus I requested the position,” he told reporters on Friday.