After more than 20 transfers in his 21-year-long career, IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe on May 20 took over as commissioner of the state’s Food and Drugs Administration. About seven weeks before that, he was transferred out of his post of secretary of the disabled welfare department where he had launched a crackdown on people who obtained government jobs using fake disability certificates. The move was linked to controversial IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s similar gambit, but was met with opposition, and on March 31, Mundhe was appointed secretary of the relief and rehabilitation department, which is currently also handling work for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Nashik. The transfer was cancelled, since, according to Mantralaya officers, a certain minister was not keen on Mundhe being in that position. Why most ministers prefer not to have officers like Mundhe in their departments is well known.
The FDA commissioner’s post is significant, considering that the department’s job is to ensure that those who manufacture and sell food and medicines adhere to prescribed standards. Significantly, the department was in a controversy a while ago after a staffer in FDA minister Narhari Zirwal’s office was caught red-handed accepting a bribe from the owner of a pharmacy. It appears that CM Devendra Fadnavis wants to clean up the department, and hence has posted Mundhe there. It remains to be seen whether Mundhe gets a stable tenure there. Meanwhile, Zirwal is yet to react to the appointment.
Race for Rajya Sabha berth
The NCP has half a dozen aspirants to the Rajya Sabha seat vacated by deputy CM Sunetra Pawar after she was elected to the state assembly from Baramati constituency. The byelection will be held on June 18. There were strong chances of food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal getting the seat but he wants his political heir and nephew Sameer in his position in the state cabinet, which the party leadership is not keen on. Others in the race are former MP Subodh Mohite, Avinash Adik and Pramod Hindurao. Mohite, who was once in the Shiv Sena and the Congress, joined the NCP some time ago and is now its national general secretary. Avinash Adik, son of former Maharashtra Congress chief Govindrao Adik, has been active in the party for quite some time whereas Hindurao was a close confidant of Ajit Pawar. Significantly, all the names being considered for the berth are seen as part of the inner circle of Sunetra and Parth Pawar. Who will go to the Rajya Sabha to accompany Parth in Delhi is anyone’s guess.
One more CM son rises
Reports from Vidarbha say that Niranjan Naik, son of former chief minister Vasantrao Naik, has become politically active and might be interested in contesting the Pusad assembly seat in Yavatmal district. The constituency has a history: since the formation of Maharashtra, it has always elected a member of the Naik family. This includes two former chief ministers, Vasantrao and Sudhakarrao Naik, and their nephews and brothers. It is currently represented by Indranil Naik, son of Sudhakarrao’s brother Manoharrao Naik. Indranil is an NCP legislator and a junior minister in the government. With Niranjan getting active, the 2029 assembly elections could well see an intra-family fight in the constituency. It could also mean one more son of a former CM entering politics. The current lot in this category includes the sons of S B Chavan, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Narayan Rane, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde and the daughters of Sharad Pawar, Sushilkumar Shinde and Ashok Chavan.
Thackeray brotherhood
Ever since they lost the BMC polls, cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray are rarely seen together, which has led to speculation on whether the brotherhood on display during the elections still exists. There were differences between their two parties on the elections to various committees in the BMC. Top Sena (UBT) and MNS leaders too are rarely seen together nowadays. On Sunday, Sena (UBT) leader and Uddhav’s son Aaditya Thackeray did visit Raj’s Shivaji Park residence to greet Raj’s son, Amit, on his birthday. Party sources said it was a family visit but it would also send a signal to the cadres of both parties that the relations between the two sides remained the same. Significantly, a hoarding put up by Sena (UBT) Dadar-Mahim MLA Mahesh Sawant wishing Amit Thackeray on his birthday—right in front of Shiv Sena Bhavan, the party office—has become a talking point. Amit was Sawant’s opponent in the last assembly election.
