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Names of 36 guardian ministers announced by state govt.

The position holds significant importance, as it involves managing District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) funds, which are utilized for local development and beautification projects

Names of 36 guardian ministers announced by state govt.
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The Maharashtra government has announced the names of guardian ministers for all 36 districts, a month after portfolios were allocated. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has been assigned responsibility for Gadchiroli, a district significantly affected by Naxal activities. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been tasked with overseeing Mumbai city and Thane, while Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will manage Beed and Pune districts.

In a significant development, Dhananjay Munde, the former guardian minister of Beed, has been excluded from the new list. This decision was reportedly influenced by the ongoing controversy surrounding Munde, whose close aide has been implicated in the Beed sarpanch murder case. Strong opposition to his continuation in the role had been expressed by both the Opposition and some legislators from the ruling coalition. Consequently, Ajit Pawar has been entrusted with the responsibility of Beed. Meanwhile, Pankaja Munde, Dhananjay Munde’s cousin and a BJP minister, has been named as the guardian minister of Jalna district.

Out of the 42 sworn-in ministers, 36 have been assigned the role of guardian minister. The position holds significant importance, as it involves managing District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) funds, which are utilized for local development and beautification projects. Dhananjay Munde, in a statement, expressed his approval of Ajit Pawar’s appointment, citing the current political and social situation in Beed. It was also clarified by Munde that he had personally requested to be relieved from the responsibility of guardian minister for any district, allowing him to focus on his departmental duties.

Several key appointments have been made across other districts. Mumbai suburban district will be jointly managed by BJP ministers Aashish Shelar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha. Gadchiroli will see a shared role between Fadnavis and Minister of State Aashish Jaiswal. Chandrashekhar Bawankule has been given charge of Nagpur and Amravati, while Nitesh Rane has been assigned Sindhudurg. Ratnagiri will be overseen by Shiv Sena’s Uday Samant, with Sanjay Shirsat managing Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.

In Kolhapur, the role of guardian minister will be shared by Shiv Sena’s Prakash Abitkar and BJP’s Madhuri Misal. Hasan Mushrif, previously the guardian minister for Kolhapur, has been reassigned to Washim. In Raigad, NCP’s Aditi Tatkare has been appointed, marking a notable change as the district was previously managed by the Shiv Sena. Additional appointments include Girish Mahajan for Nashik, Shambhuraj Desai for Satara, Shivendra Singh Bhosle for Latur, Pratap Sarnaik for Dharashiv, Gulabrao Patil for Jalgaon, and Sanjay Rathod for Yavatmal. Chandrakant Patil, who was a contender for Pune, has been given Sangli instead.

The announcement follows weeks of deliberations and competition among ruling allies. The distribution of guardian minister roles, particularly in districts like Nashik, Jalgaon, Raigad, Satara, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Thane, Sambhaji Nagar, Beed, Pune, and Kolhapur, has been described as a balancing act. The appointments reflect efforts to manage coalition dynamics while addressing political priorities in key regions.

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