The guardian minister’s appointment continues to be a bone of contention within the Mahayuti alliance. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s MLAs from Raigad district were absent from the district development planning committee (DPDC) meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday.
Pawar, who heads finance and planning ministry, had called for the meeting. However, the rift between Sena and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) was clearly visible. Asked about absence from the crucial meet, A Shinde camp MLA from Raigad district claimed that they were neither invited nor aware of it. However, the NCP claimed that invitations were sent to all. Sena MLA Mahendra Thorve said, “We were not invited to the meeting.”
The Maharashtra government, led by CM Devendra Fadnavis, had appointed NCP minister Aditi Tatkare as the guardian minister of Raigad. However, the Shinde Sena camp objected to the move as Bharat Gogawale had staked a claim for the coveted post. Following this, Fadnavis announced a stay on the appointment of Aditi, the daughter of senior NCP leader and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare. Aditi is a cabinet minister in the state government and holds the women and child development portfolio. The guardian minister is a power centre in politics as the minister chairs DPDC meetings. The committee allocate funds for the development of projects.
The appointment of the Raigad and Nashik guardian ministers was put on hold by Fadnavis following objections by the Shinde Sena. While Fadnavis had announced that Aditi would be the Raigad guardian minister, Girish Mahajan had been named as Nashik guardian minister.
