Mumbai: The second day of the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly session saw intense action not just outside the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, but also in Beed district.
Before the proceedings commenced Tuesday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed mediapersons of the resignation of state’s food and civil supplies minister, Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) leader Dhananjay Munde, and said that he had accepted it.
The move comes after Munde’s close aide Walmik Karad was named as one of the ‘masterminds’ in the December 2024 murder case of Santosh Deshmukh, a sarpanch in Beed’s Massajog village. Fadnavis said that Munde had been relieved of his charge.
Karad has been accused of murdering Deshmukh for resisting an attempt of alleged extortion.
Munde is the NCP MLA from Parli constituency in Beed district, where he wields significant influence. He had been facing heat since the murder with the Opposition, and even MLAs of the rulling alliance, demanding his resignation. Political experts say even though the move may not destabilise the government, it will impact Mahayuti’s image to some extent.
The announcement soon triggered a political storm with NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar slamming the government for not acting before. Referring to the video clips & images of Deshmukh being tortured and murdered that surfaced on social media, Rohit said that even though the pictures had come into circulation Monday, the chief minister and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar would have been aware.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MLA Aaditya Thackeray questioned the government’s intent and demanded that the entire cabinet be dismissed. “This happened in December before the winter session. The Maha Vikas Aghadi has been demanding Munde’s resignation for a fair and free trial. Even Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, like Suresh Dhas, had been asking for the resignation. But don’t know who had tied CM’s hands earlier.”
NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil said the MVA would move a breach of privilege notice against the Maharashtra government for not informing the legislature about Munde’s resignation, when the budget session is underway.
Munde submitted his resignation after his close aide Karad was accused of murdering Deshmukh for resisting an attempt of alleged extortion.
Munde took to X Tuesday to say that since the chargesheet in the Deshmukh murder case is submitted in the court and an investigation is pending, it would be better if he stepped down. However, Munde also cited medical reasons for resigning.
बीड जिल्ह्यातील मस्साजोगचे स्व. संतोष देशमुख यांच्या निर्घृण हत्येतील आरोपींना कठोरात कठोर शिक्षा व्हावी, ही माझी पहिल्या दिवसापासूनची ठाम मागणी आहे. काल समोर आलेले फोटो पाहून तर मन अत्यंत व्यथित झाले.
या प्रकरणाचा तपास पूर्ण झाला असून आरोपपत्र न्यायालयात दाखल झाले आहे. तसेच,…
— Dhananjay Munde (@dhananjay_munde) March 4, 2025
“The photographs that came out yesterday have disturbed me. To my mind, since the judicial probe is pending, and even my health is not cooperating with me, on the suggestion of doctors, I chose to submit my resignation,” he wrote.
The Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID) last week filed a chargesheet of more than 1,200 pages in the Deshmukh murder case and two other related cases in a court in Beed district.
According to the initial FIR, the sarpanch had attempted to stop an extortion bid as well as hooliganism at Avaada Energy’s wind power plant in Beed’s Massajog village, leading to his killing on 9 December, 2024.
While seven people have been arrested, including Karad, the main accused, Krushna Andhale, remains at large.
In the images that were circulated Monday, the accused are seen smiling, while torturing Deshmukh. Later, one of the accused is seen urinating on the body.
A ‘bandh’ was observed in parts of Beed Tuesday after the images surfaced on social media.
Also Read: Dhananjay Munde: Ajit Pawar aide with chequered past & now Mahayuti’s first casualty
‘Big blow to Mahayuti’s image’
Munde is considered to share a close relationship with Ajit Pawar. After Deshmukh’s images and videos surfaced online, Fadnavis is reported to have held a meeting late Monday night with Munde, the deputy chief minister, and senior NCP leaders Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel.
Although this will not destabilise the government, political analyst Prakash Akolkar told ThePrint that this is a big blow to the image of Mahayuti government.
“The chief minister should have dismissed Munde earlier. But it won’t impact the government as such, and even the relations between BJP and NCP won’t be that affected because the cold war is between Fadnavis and Shinde, not with Ajit Pawar,” he said. “However, this is a big black spot on Mahayuti. And because crime has been increasing in the state, it also puts the spotlight on Fadnavis, who heads the home department.”
Another political expert Abhay Deshpande told ThePrint, “This will have an impact on perception and image of the government because a minister had to resign even before it completed 100 days.”
He added, “Perhaps the government thought of not seeking the resignation earlier and protecting Munde because they must have thought the issue would die down. But since there was continuous pressure from people within the district, including MLAs from ruling party. After the photos came out, it became difficult to protect him.”
Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, who had also been seeking Munde’s resignation, said Tuesday that despite resigning, Munde has not apologised for what happened.
“He should have resigned before the chargesheet was filed. Even while resigning, his arrogance has come through. It is good, now even Marathas will know what Munde is. I demand that Munde be named a co-accused in the case,” Patil said.
(Edited by Sudha V)
Also Read: Amid Mahayuti discord, praise for Fadnavis from unlikely quarter: Sena (UBT) mouthpiece
