Last week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appointed his Deputy, Ajit Pawar, who heads the rebel faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), as the guardian Minister of the coveted Pune district, replacing Bharatiya Janata Party strongman Chandrakant Patil.
The final list of 12 Ministers underscores yet again the growing influence of Ajit Pawar’s faction within the ruling alliance, which includes Mr. Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, the BJP, and the NCP with Ministers from Ajit Pawar’s faction, such as Agriculture Minister Dhananjay Munde, and Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif being assigned guardianship of their respective strongholds of Beed and Kolhapur, following speculations that Ajit Pawar was dissatisfied with his allies.
Ever since the 64-year-old nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar joined the Shinde-Fadnavis government on July 2, there has been an intense power tussle among the three allies over the allotment of Cabinet berths and guardian ministership, as they oversee the combined Budget of all local civic bodies within their districts and ensure the effective implementation of funds allocated by the Union and State governments for various schemes. On the political front, it enables them to bolster their legislators in the district and further expand the reach of their party due to close proximity with voters. In fact, within the Shinde camp, there is a palpable sense of discontent towards Ajit Pawar’s faction, primarily due to his initial acquisition of the pivotal Finance portfolio and his subsequent appointment as the guardian Minister of Pune, the Cultural and IT capital of the western State. The district is a nerve centre of Ajit Pawar’s politics, which can potentially create challenges for BJP legislators.
Priority for Ministers
A guardian Minister is typically chosen from the State Cabinet with priority for Ministers representing the particular district. However, in cases where a district lacks presentation in the Cabinet, Ministers from other districts can be chosen and one can serve as guardian Minister for multiple districts. For instance, BJP senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis represents Nagpur South West Assembly constituency and serves as guardian Minister for both Nagpur and Gadchiroli districts in Vidarbha region. His party colleague and Rural Development Minister Girish Mahajan, who represents the Jamner Assembly constituency, has been assigned guardianship of Latur, Dhule and Nanded districts.
“At the end of the day, in a State like Maharashtra, where every Minister, MLA and MP is a big leader, especially after Dada (Ajit Pawar) joined the ruling alliance, this post gives significance to the Minister in their political turf or any allotted district as they control the major chunk of development funds, officers postings, and welcoming dignitaries such as the President, Vice President and Prime Minister,” a senior leader from Mr. Shinde’s Shiv Sena said.
Matter of pride
Citing how Chief Minister Shinde was opposed to giving away the guardian ministerships of Satara, Raigad and Nashik despite continuous demand from Ajit Pawar to accommodate Ministers from his party, he said: “Guardian ministership is a pride for any Cabinet Minister in Maharashtra, and one cannot risk losing it as it also gives a chance to expand the party’s presence in the region.” Currently, Shiv Sena Ministers, Uday Samant, Dada Bhuse, and Shambhuraj Desai are in charge of Raigad, Nashik and Satara respectively.
Not just in the current dispensation, but in the previous governments too, this post has remained a point of contention, as a guardian Minister is also the ex-officio chairperson of the District Planning Committee, a body mandated by law in every district. As there are no specific guidelines in the law for the Committee’s leadership, in some States it is headed by the administration and elected representatives. The guardian Minister is expected to address municipal and urban-rural affairs, including water sharing, spatial planning and infrastructure development.
With no local bodies representatives for over a year — the State government is yet to hold elections to 23 municipal corporations and 26 district councils — the role of guardian Ministers has gained prominence. The position holds immense prestige, making the incumbent a de facto or “mini Chief Minister” of the district.
deshpande.abhinay@thehindu.co.in
