Mumbai, March 24 (IANS) The resignation of Maharashtra NCP women’s wing chief Rupali Chakankar as the chairperson of the State Women’s Commission due to her alleged proximity to the self-proclaimed godman Ashok Kharat is the latest in the long list of party leaders who faced allegations, and resigned or were sidelined since its formation in June 1999.

The list includes Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dr Padamsinh Patil, Suresh Jain, Nawab Malik, Anil Deshmukh, Dhananjay Munde, Manikrao Kokate, Dr Vijaykumar Gavit and Dharmaraobaba Atram, apart from Rupali Chakankar, who have been embroiled in various controversies or scams. These involvements forced them to either resign from their ministerial posts or face imprisonment.

Following the formation of the Mahayuti government in December 2024, two NCP ministers, Dhananjay Munde and Manikrao Kokate, had to resign. This has now been followed by the removal of Rupali Chakankar, Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission. This means that within the last year and a half, three NCP leaders have stepped down.

Dhananjay Munde, who was close to former deputy chief minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar, resigned due to alleged links with those accused in the murder of Beed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Munde has been attempting a cabinet comeback for six months. Manikrao Kokate lost his post after being found guilty by a court of forging documents to obtain a government flat.

After its inception in 1999, the NCP immediately joined the then Democratic Front government. During the first term (1999-2004), allegations levelled by social activist Anna Hazare forced Dr Padamsinh Patil, Suresh Jain, and Nawab Malik to resign over corruption charges. Even as the Justice Sawant Commission passed strictures against D. Vijaykumar Gavit, he managed to retain his post. The simultaneous resignation of three ministers was a massive blow to the party then.

Over the years, various NCP ministers faced a barrage of allegations. A veteran leader, Chhagan Bhujbal in 2003, faced an inquiry regarding the Telgi stamp paper scam, leading to his resignation as Deputy CM. While the official reason cited was an attack on a news channel, the party insiders claimed the Telgi scam was the real trigger.

In 2011, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) dissolved the board of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank due to mismanagement. Top NCP leaders, including Ajit Pawar, were on the board of the bank. The party blamed then-CM Prithviraj Chavan for orchestrating this from Delhi. In 2012, Ajit Pawar resigned following the infamous Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam, where, despite massive spending, the state’s irrigation potential reportedly grew by only 0.1 per cent. Though he resigned, he returned to the cabinet shortly after.

Post-2014, Chhagan Bhujbal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Maharashtra Sadan scam and spent nearly two years in jail. Under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Anil Deshmukh (extortion charges) and Nawab Malik (alleged links to Dawood Ibrahim’s relatives) were also jailed.

Despite the gravity of these allegations, party leadership — first under Sharad Pawar and later Ajit Pawar (after the split in July 2023) — largely stood by their leaders. Whether it was the irrigation scam, the Cooperative Bank case, or the takeover of sugar factories, Ajit Pawar remained a target, yet the leadership never publicly reprimanded these leaders or took internal disciplinary action. Historically, this has hurt the party’s image.

In the 1990s, BJP leader Gopinath Munde’s direct allegations against Sharad Pawar, who was the chief minister of the Congress-led government, for aiding criminals, significantly impacted the party’s performance in the 1995 elections.

Even after Ajit Pawar’s recent rebellion, internal stability remains shaky. While Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare initially supported Dhananjay Munde, the pressure from the BJP eventually forced his resignation, proving that even within the current alliance, the “clean image” battle continues.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

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