Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is known as a strict and demanding administrator, yet some officers still try to meddle with his decisions. Recently, a senior officer altered a cabinet-approved draft and inserted clauses that served his own interests.
When this came to Fadnavis’s notice, he was stunned and immediately warned the officer for crossing the line.
He said he would either start a departmental inquiry or an Anti-Corruption Bureau probe, with serious consequences such as suspension.
People in Mantralaya say that when Fadnavis gets angry, the officer involved usually ends up with a weak post or a side posting.
EC under fire over its confusing local poll order
The Maharashtra Election Commission has again become a talking point for the wrong reasons. This time, it issued a resolution for nomination submissions but mistakenly attached the AB form used in local body elections. The A form confirms the official party candidate, while the B form lists the substitute candidate if the first one is disqualified. The commission’s first resolution stated that both the main and substitute candidates would remain valid, which created confusion because a party cannot field two official candidates. After murmurs in the bureaucracy, a fresh order came on the last day of scrutiny.
Power play resurfaces in secretary’s appointment
The ongoing power struggle in Maharashtra came to light again during the appointment process for a key post at the Slum Redevelopment Authority. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who handles the urban development department, sent a file recommending an officer close to him as the next SRA secretary. He expected CM Fadnavis to approve it. Instead, the file returned with a different name chosen by the chief minister. This left Shinde shocked and showed how his influence is slipping. Shinde has reportedly told close associates that in the current government, they cannot even appoint their own officers.
Sudhir Suryawanshi
Our correspondent in Maharashtra
suryawanshi.sudhir@gmail.com