Hours after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Anil Deshmukh tendered his resignation from the post of Maharashtra Home Minister, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray forwarded it to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and appointed Dilip Walse Patil, who is the minister for labour and excise, to take the charge.
This development comes after the Bombay High Court (HC) ordered a CBI probe into the corruption allegations levelled against him by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh. The court observed that there won't be an independent investigation by the Maharashtra Police, which comes under Anil Deshmukh.
According to reports, hours after a meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Deshmukh offered the resignation letter to him.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government also decided that the Excise Ministry will be given to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who is already in charge of the State Finance Ministry. The labour ministry portfolio, however, will be given to Hasan Mushrif.
Who is Dilip Walse Patil?
A seven-time MLA, Patil, began his political career as personal assistant to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar.
His father Dattatray Walse Patil, a former Congress MLA, was also close to Sharad Pawar.
The MLA from Ambegaon, who has also studied law, has also served as the speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly between 2009 and 2014. Over the years, Dilip Walse Patil has also held the finance and planning portfolio.
Patil won his first election as a Congress candidate from Ambegaon in 1990.
In 1999, Dilip Walse Patil followed Sharad Pawar into the NCP and soon became a minister in Vilasrao Deshmukh’s cabinet. He was given charge of power and medical education.
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