Maharashtra Government Halts Guardian Minister Appointments for Nashik and Raigad

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The Maharashtra government has halted the guardian minister appointments.
- Shiv Sena raised objections concerning the appointments.
- Protests arose from supporters of Gogawale.
- Chief Minister Fadnavis intervened amidst the controversy.
- The government aims to avoid internal conflicts within the coalition.
Mumbai, Jan 19 (NationPress) The Maharashtra government has paused the appointments of guardian ministers for Nashik and Raigad districts pending further instructions, following significant objections from Shiv Sena.
On Saturday, the government designated Girish Mahajan (BJP) as the Nashik district guardian minister and Aditi Tatkare (NCP) as the Raigad district guardian minister.
However, Shiv Sena, which asserted its claim over both districts, expressed strong disapproval of these appointments on Sunday, suggesting that this could disrupt the effective operation of the coalition government, despite its commanding majority.
School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse (Shiv Sena) was eager to take on the role of Nashik district guardian minister, while EGS minister Bharat Gogawale (Shiv Sena) had openly expressed his desire to be appointed as the Raigad district guardian minister.
Bhuse previously held the position of Nashik district guardian minister during the Eknath Shinde administration, while Gogawale had opposed the assignment of the Raigad district guardian minister role to the NCP.
Shiv Sena ministers Uday Samant and Gukabrao Patil, along with Bhuse and Gogawale, publicly voiced their dissatisfaction with the appointments of Mahajan and Tatkare as the guardian ministers for Nashik and Raigad.
A substantial number of Gogawale's supporters from his Mahad assembly constituency protested on Saturday night, threatening mass resignations.
Shiv Sena ministers raised their concerns with Deputy Chief Minister and party leader Eknath Shinde, urging a reconsideration of the appointments.
In light of Shiv Sena's strong objections, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is currently attending the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, reportedly directed the General Administration Department to put a hold on the appointments of the Nashik and Raigad district guardian ministers.
As a result, Dilip Deshpande, deputy secretary of the General Administration Department, issued a government resolution suspending these appointments.
On Saturday, the government had announced the appointments of district guardian ministers and co-district guardian ministers for all 36 districts in anticipation of Republic Day.
Even though Fadnavis expanded his cabinet on December 15 of last year, the appointments of district guardian ministers were postponed due to conflicting claims made by the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP.
This marks the first occasion in the state that a co-district guardian minister position has been established to accommodate cabinet ministers and state ministers, aiming to prevent disputes within the MahaYuti government.
In the meantime, the government has issued another notice regarding the flag hoisting ceremony to be conducted by the district guardian ministers on Republic Day. However, with the suspension of appointments for the Nashik and Raigad district guardian ministers, the government will need to appoint new ministers for this task.