Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde Resigns Amid Beed Sarpanch Murder Controversy

Mumbai, India: Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay Munde resigned on Tuesday, a day after photos of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh’s murder surfaced online. Munde, a senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, cited ill health as the reason for his resignation, but his close aide Walmik Karad’s arrest in connection with the case had already put him under intense political scrutiny.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed accepting Munde’s resignation and forwarding it to the governor. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar stated that Munde stepped down “on the basis of morality.”

Deshmukh was murdered on December 9 in Beed district, allegedly for opposing an extortion attempt by the accused on a windmill company. The Opposition, including Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, slammed the government’s delayed action, demanding a revised chargesheet and Munde’s inclusion as a co-accused.

The controversy deepened after a late-night meeting between Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, and top NCP leaders on Monday. BJP MLA Suresh Dhas and NCP (SP) MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar have called for the strictest punishment for those involved, with Kshirsagar stating that “Beed is on the boil” and the accused “should be hanged to death.”

With growing political unrest, the case remains a major test for Maharashtra’s law and order.