The Fall of Dhananjay Munde: Why Devendra Fadnavis couldn't avoid sacking him from the cabinet

Dhananjay Munde (Image: PTI)

Finally, Dhananjay Munde, one of the most controversial ministers of Maharashtra's Mahayuti government, has put in his papers. A clamour for his resignation began as soon as the alliance came into power last December. The exit of Munde is seen as part of Devendra Fadnavis' effort to maintain a clean image of his government. However, many in the political corridors are questioning why it took so long for Fadnavis to show Munde the door. The removal of Munde has also posed another question—who will be his replacement? The fate of another minister, Manikrao Kokate, is also awaited, as he has been convicted in a fraud case.

After a buildup of pressure over three months, heads have finally started to roll in Fadnavis' cabinet, with Dhananjay Munde as the first casualty. Munde, the NCP leader, has been in the news over one issue or another, including his discord with his estranged wife, Karuna Sharma. However, the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, a Sarpanch of Beed, has cost him his ministerial chair. Valmiki Karad, an alleged extortionist and the prime accused in Deshmukh's murder, was Munde's Man Friday. Since Karad's name cropped up in the case, opposition parties and social activists like Anjali Damania have been asking Fadnavis to sack Munde from the cabinet. However, being constrained due to alliance politics, he continued to retain Munde and said it was Ajit Pawar, the NCP chief's call.

What ultimately triggered Munde's removal was the telecast of gruesome visuals of Sarpanch Deshmukh's murder by various TV channels on Monday evening. After the news gained wide coverage on regional news channels, Fadnavis reportedly called a meeting with Ajit Pawar and conveyed to him that Munde could no longer remain a minister in his cabinet. Pawar, who had so far been defending Munde, relented.

It was a tough call for both Fadnavis and Pawar to seek Munde's resignation.

The friendship between Fadnavis and Munde is well known in Maharashtra's political corridors. Both have known each other since their time as members of Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP. Munde was also a confidante of Ajit Pawar. In November 2019, when Pawar rebelled against the NCP for the first time with a handful of MLAs, Munde was with him. He was also one of the MLAs who played a crucial role in Pawar's second rebellion in June 2023. Munde is a nephew of BJP's late leader Gopinath Munde and enjoyed considerable clout among the OBCs in the Marathwada region.

Munde's resignation has come at a time when the budget session of Maharashtra is ongoing. On the very first day of the session, the opposition protested, demanding his resignation. The opposition had planned to protest on the second day as well; however, Fadnavis watered down the issue by announcing that he had accepted Munde's resignation. The furore by the incumbent parties over Samajwadi Party's Abu Azmi's praise of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb also overshadowed the Munde issue.

After the removal of Munde, the question now is whether he will be replaced by NCP stalwart Chhagan Bhujbal. Bhujbal has been upset after being excluded from the cabinet. His name is doing the rounds because he is also an OBC leader like Munde.

The fate of another NCP minister, Manikrao Kokate, is also lingering in a Nashik court. Kokate was convicted of fraudulently occupying residential apartments from the CM's discretionary quota. He has applied for a suspension of his conviction, and the court will pronounce its order on March 5.