May 1, celebrated as Maharashtra Day, typically sees the chief minister hoisting the flag at Shivaji Park in Dadar, with guardian ministers leading ceremonies across districts. This year, however, the annual tradition has stirred political controversy over ministerial assignments. The government has issued a circular assigning women and child development minister Aditi Tatkare the responsibility for the Raigad district ceremony and BJP minister Girish Mahajan for Nashik. Both Raigad and Nashik currently have disputes over who holds the role of guardian minister. Tatkare and Mahajan were the initial choice for the post.
In Raigad, Bharat Gogawale, a minister from Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, is reportedly vying for the post, given that the party has the most MLAs in the district. In Nashik, minister Dada Bhuse is also said to be interested in the guardian minister position.
The Shiv Sena has expressed discontent after the honour of hoisting the flag on Maharashtra Day was once again given to Tatkare.
On January 18, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the list of guardian ministers. According to the list, Mahajan was appointed for Nashik and Tatkare for Raigad. However, dissent grew within the alliance members and the appointments for Nashik and Raigad were put on hold within just 24 hours. The deadlock still remains unresolved.
