As 2 NCP ministers landed in trouble, how Mahayuti govt found itself on the backfoot

With two of the NCP ministers caught in such controversies ahead of the Budget session of the state Assembly, the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government has landed in a spot, with Ajit Pawar reeling from the crisis.

Before Kokate’s conviction, the Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Ajit’s NCP and Shiv Sena led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, was firefighting the aftermath of Massejog Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh’s killing for two months after Munde’s close aide Walmik Karad was arrested in connection with the case.

BJP leader Fadnavis, who promised a transparent and accountable government after taking charge as the CM following the Mahayuti’s landslide victory in the November 2024 Assembly polls, finds himself grappling with the Munde and Kokate rows, even as the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has upped the heat on them while seeking the duo’s ouster from the Cabinet.

Newly-appointed state Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal said there was no justification of retaining Munde and Kokate in the Cabinet. “We demand their resignation,” he said.

A senior BJP minister, requesting anonymity, said Kokate’s fate was a call that Fadnavis would need to take. “Whether Kokate should resign or not is the CM’s decision. It would be inappropriate to comment on a Cabinet colleague. However, such developments do not augur well for the government’s image. Since we are a tripartite coalition, every decision has to be taken in consultation with the alliance partners and with their consent. Ultimately, law will take its own course,” he said.

Former principal secretary in the Assembly, Anant Kale, said an elected member being convicted is a serious matter. “If the convicted individual appeals in a higher court and gets a stay on the conviction, the membership cancellation can be averted. In the absence of a stay, it could invite trouble,” he said.

Since his conviction, Kokate said he has got bail. “The court has convicted me. I will challenge the decision in a higher court,” he told media persons.

According to the law, any public representative who is sentenced to two years or more in prison cannot remain in office.

What is the fraud case?

The case pertains to a petition filed in 1997 by former minister Tukaram Dighole, where he accused Kokate and his brother Vijay of tampering documents to avail houses under the CM’s discretionary quota of 10% for people belonging to the low income group.

A case against the Kokate brothers was registered under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (preparing forged documents), 471 and 474 (concealing truth) of the IPC, which led to the investigation and conviction.

Who is Kokate?

Kokate, 67, is a five-time MLA who is dubbed a “party hopper” due to his frequent defection. He began his career with the Congress in the early 1990s and in 1999, walked out with Sharad Pawar, who floated the NCP. The same year, upon being denied an Assembly ticket by the NCP, he joined the Shiv Sena (then undivided) and won the Sinnar seat and retained it in 2004.

In 2006, he returned to the Congress along with former CM Narayan Rane and successfully contested the Sinnar seat in the 2009 Assembly polls as a Congress nominee.

Ahead of the 2014 elections, he switched to the BJP but lost from Sinnar to the Shiv Sena’s Rajabhau Waje. Kokate then returned to the NCP and successfully contested the 2019 Assembly polls as its candidate from Sinnar. He, however, lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Nashik as an Independent.

As Ajit split the NCP and joined the NDA fold in July 2023, Kokate sided with him. In last year’s Assembly elections, he defeated the Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP)’s Uday Sangale by over 40,000 votes.

Kokate, seen to be a low-profile leader, describes himself as a farmer by profession and has declared assets worth Rs 48 crore in his election affidavit.

Earlier this month, Kokate triggered a row with his remarks on farmers. While responding to a query on corruption in the government’s crop insurance scheme for farmers, the minister said, “Even beggars do not take a rupee in alms and here we are giving crop insurance. Despite this, there are irregularities as people try to misuse it.”