MumbaiJul 30, 2025 16:45 IST
First published on: Jul 30, 2025 at 16:45 IST
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With a spate of controversies involving his Cabinet colleagues coming to the fore in the recent past, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday issued a “stern warning” to them.
However, sources close to the CM claim Fadnavis letting the ministers off with just a warning is only a “pause” and his “first step” towards “taming” Mahayuti partners – the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar’s NCP. “In December, when his government completes one year in power, Fadnavis will ruthlessly assess each minister’s performance and those found lacking would likely be shown the door,” a source said.
According to a senior BJP minister, in the weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Fadnavis asked the bureaucrats to leave and took the ministers to task and told them that their irresponsible statements and poor conduct tarnished the Mahayuti’s image. “The CM told them to be mindful and not trigger controversies while focusing on development. He also asked them to issue only quick clarifications if charges are levelled against them,” said the minister, who was present at the meeting.
BJP insiders said Fadnavis also conveyed to the coalition partners that the government cannot “remain a mute spectator if serious issues arise”. “He is likely to crack the whip after the local body elections, scheduled for October-November,” a source said.
Any drastic measure ahead of the local body polls would lead to “unrest” within the government, another source said. “At a time when the Mahayuti is looking to wrest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, action against ministers may be exploited by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP(SP),” the source said, adding that this was one of the issues discussed by the CM with Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Delhi earlier this week.
An NCP minister, requesting anonymity, said: “In March, NCP minister Dhananjay Munde was forced to step down after his close aide Walmik Karad was accused of being involved in the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Another minister stepping down at this time would prove to be detrimental. The same applies to the Sena.”
In recent times, NCP and Sena ministers have found themselves at the centre of controversies. First, a video purportedly showing Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat with a bag of cash surfaced, leading to attacks from the Opposition. Shirsat’s son Siddhant too was in the dock after Fadnavis himself ordered a probe into the sale of a hotel in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar connected to him.
Sena minister Yogesh Kadam has been accused of being involved in illegal sand trading and operating dance bars in his mother’s name while ministers like Sanjay Rathod and Dadaji Bhuse (both from the Sena) have been accused of discrepancies in recruitment processes and transfers concerning their departments.
From the NCP’s side, the Mahayuti’s “headache” has been Manikrao Kokate. He first embarrassed the Fadnavis government by referring to it as “beggar” and was later caught playing a game of rummy on his phone in the Assembly during the Monsoon Session.
In February, Kokate was convicted by a Nashik district court for forgery and illegally acquiring two flats. He subsequently challenged the verdict in a higher court, which stayed his conviction.
The BJP and its allies share a delicately balanced relationship, with the NCP and Sena earlier taking umbrage to Fadnavis’s decision to screen personal assistants and Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) of ministers to “ensure transparency and accountability” in administration.
The Maharashtra Cabinet, which can have a maximum strength of 43, currently has 42 ministers. The BJP has 20 ministers while the Shiv Sena and NCP have 12 and 10 ministers respectively.