Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
After the distribution of portfolios in the newly-formed Mahayuti 2.0 government in Maharashtra, an intense competition has emerged among senior ministers vying for the coveted guardian minister posts of their respective districts.
Maharashtra is divided into 36 districts, each overseen by a guardian minister, typically hailing from the same district. The guardian minister of Maharashtra is a cabinet-level official appointed by the state government to oversee and facilitate the development of a specific district.
The state’s council of ministers has now expanded to 42 members, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his two deputies — Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.
The contest for guardian minister’s post is particularly fierce in key districts such as Beed, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Raigad, Nashik, and Satara.
Sources told India Today TV that Eknath Shinde is poised to take on the role of guardian minister for Thane district, while Ajit Pawar is expected to oversee Pune district.
In Beed, the rivalry between cousins Pankaja Munde and Dhananjay Munde is at the forefront.
Dhananjay Munde, who faced allegations of links to the accused in the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, managed to secure a ministerial position with the support of Ajit Pawar.
“The MLAs of the ruling alliance from Beed had highlighted the law and order situation in the district and links between the minister (Munde) and the alleged accused during a debate in the legislative assembly last week,” Congress leader Nana Patole was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Now, Dhananjay Munde is strongly lobbying for the guardian minister role for Beed. Simultaneously, Pankaja Munde has expressed her aspirations for the same post.
In Raigad, the contest is equally intense. Bharat Gogavale has staked his claim for the guardian ministership, while Aditi Tatkare, the Women and Child Development Minister, is also keen to retain her position.
The situation in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar presents a similar dilemma. Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) Minister Sanjay Shirsat, who holds the Social Justice portfolio, has declared his claim to the post, citing his four decades of dedication to the party.
However, BJP leader and OBC Welfare Minister Atul Save has also expressed interest in the guardian ministership for this district.
Meanwhile, sources said that Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil is expected to take charge of Ahilyanagar, Manikrao Kokate of Nashik, Girish Mahajan of Jalgaon, Hasan Mushrif of Kolhapur, Meghna Bordikar of Parbhani, Akash Fundkar of Buldana, Uday Samant of Ratnagiri, Nitesh Rane of Sindhudurg, Mangalprabhat Lodha of Mumbai City, and Ashish Shelar of Mumbai Suburban.
Jayakumar Rawal is likely to be appointed as the guardian minister for Dhule. Shiv Sena is also reportedly seeking one of the Guardian Minister positions in Mumbai.
The tussle over Pune’s guardian ministership is garnering significant attention. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil are expected to clash over the key role, highlighting tensions between the BJP and the NCP’s Ajit Pawar faction within the Mahayuti.
The competition in Satara is no less intense, with four Cabinet ministers from the district — Shivendrasinh Raje Bhosale, Shambhuraj Desai, Jayakumar Gore, and Makarand Jadhav-Patil — jostling for the post.
A heated contest appears to be brewing between Shivendrasinh Raje and Shambhuraj Desai, further complicating the situation for the Chief Minister.
Key responsibilities of the guardian minister include coordinating with the district’s collector, superintendent of police, and other administrative officials to address developmental priorities. The minister also serves as the ex-officio chairperson of the District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC), which plays a pivotal role in planning and implementing developmental projects at the district level.
The position is entrusted to a senior leader from the ruling party, who acts as a bridge between the state government and the district administration, ensuring effective governance and policy execution.
