Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis was reportedly offered the post of Union education minister after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned over the paper leak controversy. However, Fadnavis turned down the offer and told the BJP leadership that he wanted to continue in Maharashtra politics till 2029. The party leadership was said to be keen on giving him the ministry because he is seen as an effective speaker and is considered close to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. The leadership believed he was the right person to push the RSS’s education agenda through policy changes and also groom him as a future BJP leader. But Fadnavis chose to remain chief minister.
Sharad Pawar: An enigma within parties
Sharad Pawar’s latest political moves have left both the ruling BJP and the opposition guessing about his stand. NCP (SP), an INDIA alliance partner, first signalled support for the BJP’s delimitation bill after Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule said her party could back it if Maharashtra and other states got a 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats. As speculation grew that the party was moving closer to the BJP, Pawar visited Jantar Mantar to support student protestors. On the same day, he also met PM Narendra Modi over farmers’ demands, while Supriya Sule and Pratibha Pawar later met Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, keeping everyone uncertain.
Thackeray brothers’ youth outreach in stir
The Thackeray brothers and their sons used the student protest over the exam paper leak to reconnect with young people and their families. Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray supported students who had gathered at different places in Mumbai. Reports of Delhi Police lathicharge, pellet firing and the presence of goons allegedly posing as civil police had created fear among protestors. Raj Thackeray’s warning to the Mumbai Police and alleged goons encouraged students to join the protest. His wife also stepped in to protect Muslim girls and women, telling police not to touch them. Aditya Thackeray and Amit Thackeray also joined in.
Sudhir Suryawanshi
Our correspondent in Maharashtra
suryawanshi.sudhir@gmail.com