Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday resolved the Mahayuti dispute between two ruling allies– Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Sunetra Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)– over the guardian minister positions for Raigad and Nashik districts. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained the Nashik post and the Raigad position was allotted to Shiv Sena.
A minister in charge is appointed for each district to oversee development work and handle situations in case of a natural or man-made emergency. The tussle among the ruling allies continued for over a year and a half after Fadnavis appointed Mahajan as Nashik’s guardian minister and NCP’s Aditi Tatkare as Raigad’s guardian minister on January 19, 2025. BJP leader Girish Mahajan is appointed Nashik’s guardian minister, while Shiv Sena’s Bharat Gogawale is appointed guardian minister of Raigad, according to an order issued by the state general administration department on Monday.
The deal was done in exchange for the Raigad guardian minister position. “Nashik’s guardian minister position was with the BJP even in previous governments. This is not the first time Shiv Sena and the NCP clashed over the Raigad guardian minister’s post. During the previous Eknath Shinde-led government, the dispute escalated to the level of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Eventually, senior Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant was given charge of the district. A guardian minister is a cabinet minister assigned charge of a particular district to oversee its development and local planning. The minister acts as the government’s chief coordinator in the district and monitors the implementation of government policies and programmes.
Because of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela, and the chief minister wants someone who can effectively oversee the preparations,” a BJP leader requesting anonymity said, the position has become more important.
Requesting anonymity, “Shiv Sena agreed to help Tatkare’s son Aniket in the MLC election, in which he was elected from the local bodies constituency, according to a senior NCP leader.
