Ajit Pawar Retains Pune Guardian Minister Post; Chandrakant Patil Assigned Sangli

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Reported By Varad Bhatkhande

Pune, 18th January 2025: After much-reported tug-of-war for the Guardian Minister post of Pune District between Baramati MLA Ajit Pawar and Kothrud MLA Chandrakant Patil within Mahayuti, today all 36 districts’ Guardian Ministers were announced, with Ajit Pawar retaining the post of Guardian Minister of Pune District.

Ajit Pawar, along with being Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister of Maharashtra, will be Guardian Minister of Pune and Beed Districts. Chandrakant Patil, although not fully ignored, has been appointed Guardian Minister of Sangli District along with being Minister of Higher and Technical Education of Maharashtra.

The results for the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly were announced on 23rd November, in which Mahayuti, comprising Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as main parties, secured 235 seats out of 288, a whopping majority. Following that, cabinet ministry positions were announced on 15th December, with both Chandrakant Patil and Ajit Pawar securing major positions.

In 2019, the BJP and unified Shiv Sena had gained a majority but had a fallout, which resulted in the BJP being sidelined as Shiv Sena joined the unified NCP and Indian National Congress to form the Mahavikas Aghadi government. Ajit Pawar became Pune’s Guardian Minister then. In 2022, Eknath Shinde rebelled and split Shiv Sena, forming a government with BJP as Shinde became Chief Minister. Chandrakant Patil became Guardian Minister of Pune District. However, in 2023, Ajit Pawar rebelled, and NCP split, with Pawar regaining the position of Pune’s Guardian Minister.

After the recent elections, both Patil and Pawar won comfortably in their constituencies. A tug-of-war ensued for the Guardian Minister position, as it helps a politician hold control in local politics. Finally, almost two months after the Maharashtra Elections Results, Guardian Ministers were announced, with Ajit Pawar becoming one for Pune while Chandrakant Patil was given responsibility for Sangli District.

The Guardian Minister post is crucial for politicians and districts in Maharashtra. For politicians, it provides control over district development funds and projects, while for districts, it ensures focused attention on local needs and implementation of state policies.

Major Mahayuti Leaders Take Key Districts as Guardian Ministers

Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis will be Guardian Minister of Gadchiroli District, an area known for its Naxalite presence. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will oversee the major area of Mumbai City along with his home turf Thane. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will look after Pune and Beed. Beed district has been in the limelight for the wrong reasons due to the murder of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Chandrashekar Bawankule will be responsible for Nagpur and Amravati.

Pune-Based MLA Gets Kolhapur Charge

Pune-based BJP MLA from Parvati Constituency, Madhuri Misal, will oversee Kolhapur District in joint responsibility with Shiv Sena MLA from Radhanagari Constituency, Prakash Abitkar, as Guardian Ministers. Chandrakant Patil seems to have fallen in ranks within the Mahayuti alliance, as he has not been given responsibility for either Pune or his home turf Kolhapur. Patil’s exclusion from Pune and Kolhapur, with Ajit Pawar being favoured, appears to have created a domino effect.

Potentially, disappointments could rise as senior BJP MLA from Miraj Constituency, Suresh Khade, and Jat MLA Gopichand Padalkar have been overlooked not only for Cabinet Ministry positions but also for Guardian Ministry appointments. It’s worth noting that neither Sangli nor Solapur districts have secured any Cabinet Ministry posts, which may further fuel discontent.

Maharashtra Guardian Minister Post List 2025