Ajit Pawar replaces BJP's Patil as Pune guardian minister

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was on Wednesday named as the guardian minister of his home district Pune in place of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil.

In all, seven of the nine ministers of the Nationalist Congress Party faction, including Ajit Pawar, are entrusted with the responsibility of various districts as guardian ministers.

As per a revised list of the guardian ministers for 12 districts issued by the Chief Minister's Office, Chandrakant Patil has been given the responsibility of Solapur and Amravati districts.

The naming of guardian ministers for various districts has been delayed as equations changed after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in July this year.

NCP ministers Dilip Walse Patil, Hasan Mushrif and Dhananjay Munde will be the guardian ministers for Buldhana, Kolhapur, and Beed districts, respectively, as per the list.

Their cabinet colleagues Sanjay Bandsode, Dhrmarao Baba Atram, and Anil Patil (also belonging to the Ajit Pawar camp) are given the responsibility of Parbhani, Gondia, and Nandurbar districts, respectively.

From the BJP camp, senior ministers Sudhir Mungantiwar, Vijay Kumar Gavit, and Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil will be in charge of Wardha, Bhandara and Akola districts, respectively.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was holding the charge as the guardian minister of Wardha, Akola, Bhandara and Amravati districts.

Earlier, Ajit Pawar was allotted the key Finance portfolio in the tripartite government.

The role of the guardian minister is to bring personal attention and support to the district, working with the district collector and other officials to address local needs and promote growth.