Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde has stepped down from his position following allegations against his close aide, Walmik Karad, in the brutal murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accepted Munde’s resignation on Tuesday, marking a significant political development in the state.
Who is Dhananjay Munde?
Dhananjay Munde, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), aligned with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar when the party split from its founder Sharad Pawar in 2023. Representing the Parali constituency in Beed, Munde was inducted into the Maharashtra cabinet after defeating Rajasaheb Deshmukh from Sharad Pawar’s faction in the 2024 assembly elections.
Previously, under the Eknath Shinde-led government, he served as the guardian minister of Beed district. He also held the post of Minister of Social Justice and Special Assistance in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government from 2019 to 2022.
Munde is the nephew of former Union minister and BJP leader Gopinath Munde and cousin of Pankaja Munde, who currently serves as Maharashtra’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, as well as Animal Husbandry.
Why Did He Resign?
The resignation follows public outrage over the gruesome murder of Santosh Deshmukh, whose torture and killing were captured in videos and photos that surfaced on social media. The case’s chargesheet revealed that Munde’s close aide, Walmik Karad, was the key conspirator in Deshmukh’s abduction and killing.
Despite the growing controversy, Munde initially resisted resigning, hoping to present his side of the story in the assembly. However, Chief Minister Fadnavis and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar rejected his request, given the severity of the case.
In his resignation statement on social media platform X, Munde cited health reasons and distress over the crime as the key factors behind his decision. “My firm demand from the very first day has been that the accused in the brutal murder of the late Santosh Deshmukh should receive the harshest possible punishment. Seeing the photos that surfaced yesterday, my heart became extremely distressed,” he wrote. He added that doctors had advised him to undergo medical treatment, leading to his decision to step down.
Sources By Agencies