top of page

By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

MVA protests for third day:

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies continued their agitation for the third day in different parts of Maharashtra with an aggressive state Congress hitting the streets today to protest the detention of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra and other Congress leaders yesterday, here on Wednesday. State and city Youth Congress again carried out vociferous protests near Mantralaya raising slogans, carrying banners and placards slamming the...

MVA protests for third day:

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies continued their agitation for the third day in different parts of Maharashtra with an aggressive state Congress hitting the streets today to protest the detention of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra and other Congress leaders yesterday, here on Wednesday. State and city Youth Congress again carried out vociferous protests near Mantralaya raising slogans, carrying banners and placards slamming the state and central Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and when some attempted to enter inside, they were prevented by a strong posse of Mumbai Police deployed there since Monday. As tensions appeared to escalate, the police clamped down by detaining top state and city Youth Congress leaders including President Harshwardhan Sapkal, Vijay Wadettiwar, Bhai Jagtap, Hussain Dalwai, and many others. Thousands of students carried out a fresh demonstration at Dadar west Shivaji Park to vent their ire at the police action on Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s agitation in New Delhi on Monday. Several MVA leaders and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray visited or expressed solidarity with the protesting youth, comprising many women. Opposition’s Voice The Congress leaders alleged that Rahul Gandhi was targeted by the BJP-led government to muzzle democratic dissent, suppress the Opposition voices inside and outside Parliament and trampling upon the peoples' Constitutional Rights to protest peacefully. Defying pouring rains in the city on Wednesday, Congress workers along with activists of MVA allies, staged a noisy demonstration in Chembur and another group attempted to storm the BJP office in south Mumbai, condemning the assault on students in New Delhi and the detention of the Gandhi siblings. Senior Congress leader Hussain Dalwai flayed the government for “misusing the police” to gag democratic rights and the protests were intended to defend the Constitution and democracy against the BJP’s policy of intolerance of dissent in any form. “This is gross injustice. We are not allowed to protest against the government failures as they are misusing the police. The PM is scared of taking the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as he could be the next. We want to highlight to the BJP to govern the country as per the Constitution,” Dalwai declared, interacting with the media at Nariman Point. As the BJP also threatened to launch counter-protests, the police cordoned off and deployed a precautionary security ring around Tilak Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters, as leaders from both sides exchanged political darts and looked aggressive enough for a confrontation. MVA ‘bandh’, ‘Tricolour’ march today The state is set for another two days of political turmoil as the MVA has announced a Maharashtra shutdown (‘bandh’) on Thursday followed by a non-partisan ‘Tricolour Peace March’ on Friday. MVA allies, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, besides other leaders of the alliance, informed of the state and city level actions today. Ambedkar appealed to the masses and also the BJP youth to participate wholeheartedly in the bandh tomorrow and claimed that students’ bodies, parent-teachers associations, colleges, universities, other institutes of higher education, private coaching institutions, and other governmental departments could support the shutdown, as it has now become a national issue. Aaditya sought the peoples’ participation in the ‘Tricolour Peace March’ on the theme of “One Nation, One Emotion” planned on July 24 afternoon to Shivaji Park, in support of environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, the Cockroach Janta Party, plus the youth and students protesting in New Delhi. Terming it as a national citizens’ movement rather than a political party, he called upon the people not to carry any party flags but unite under the National Tricolour to assert democratic rights and express resentment against the government’s high-handed policies. Meanwhile, Mumbai Police have already imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 across the city from July 23-to- August 6, apprehending the possibility of law-and-order disturbances.

Matriarchs of Mantralaya

Maharashtra is rebuilding its ‘Iron Frame’ of women leadership

Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar Ashwini Bhide
Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar Ashwini Bhide

Mumbai: In the wake of a tragic week that saw the sudden demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the contours of power in Maharashtra are being redrawn with a distinct and decisive feature: the ascendancy of women to the state's highest political and administrative offices. With the reshuffle on Friday, it is now becoming clear that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is trying to come up with a governance model where the three pillars of the state—Political Stability, Internal Security, and Infrastructure Delivery— are entrusted to women.


The corridors of Mantralaya, power has a distinct new profile. Just weeks after the retirement of Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla and months after the exit of Chief Secretary Sujata Sounik, a vacuum seemed to loom over Maharashtra’s administrative gender diversity. The brief dip in what was termed the "golden era" of women bureaucrats—where the state’s top police officer and top civil servant were both women—appears to have been a temporary pause rather than a full stop.


With Friday’s transfer of senior bureaucrat Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar to the critical Home Department as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) and the growing political clamor to elevate Sunetra Pawar to the Deputy Chief Ministership following the tragic demise of her husband Ajit Pawar, the Fadnavis administration is swiftly reassembling a formidable "all-women" power axis. This new triad, anchored by Ashwini Bhide in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), suggests that Maharashtra’s pragmatic reliance on female leadership is shifting from "historic firsts" to operational inevitability.


Political Anchor

The most seismic shift is likely to be political. Following the untimely death of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a plane crash earlier this week, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is reportedly rallying behind his wife, Sunetra Pawar. While her potential elevation to Deputy Chief Minister is politically expedient to keep the party united, it also places a woman in one of the highest executive offices in the state.


Unlike the bureaucratic roles, Sunetra Pawar’s challenge will be managing the volatile coalition dynamics of the Mahayuti alliance. If appointed, she would not only inherit her late husband’s political legacy but also likely his portfolios, which often included Finance. Her presence would act as the political counterweight to the bureaucratic influence of Mhaiskar and Bhide, completing a triad of governance that spans policy, execution, and politics.


Guardian of Home

Friday’s appointment of Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar as ACS (Home) is a masterstroke in administrative continuity. The Home Department, traditionally the domain of the state’s most trusted hands, oversees law and order—a portfolio Fadnavis himself holds. By placing Mhaiskar here, Fadnavis has signaled immense trust.


A 1992-batch IAS officer, Mhaiskar is no stranger to high-pressure zones. She has previously handled the Environment and Protocol departments and was instrumental during the COVID-19 crisis. Her shift from Public Works Department (PWD) to Home suggests that the administration values her "crisis manager" reputation. In the Home department, she will be the administrative spine ensuring that the police force—recently vacated by Rashmi Shukla—remains aligned with the executive’s vision.


The Executor

While Mhaiskar manages the state’s internal security apparatus, Ashwini Bhide continues to drive its developmental engine from the Chief Minister’s Office. Known widely as the "Metro Woman" for her unwavering leadership of the Mumbai Metro Line 3 project despite intense environmental and political opposition, Bhide’s role as Principal Secretary to the CM is pivotal.


Her presence in the CMO ensures that the state's massive infrastructure mandate remains on track. Unlike Sounik and Shukla, who held constitutional/statutory summits, Bhide’s power is derived from her proximity to the decision-making core. Her retention in the CMO alongside her charge of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) underscores a governance model that prioritizes delivery over optics.


Legacy of Firsts

The current reshuffle stands on the foundation laid by Sujata Sounik and Rashmi Shukla. Sounik, who retired in June 2025, was Maharashtra’s first female Chief Secretary, bringing a technocratic edge to the state's top office. Rashmi Shukla, who retired earlier this month, broke the brass ceiling as the first female DGP.


Their simultaneous tenure was a historic anomaly that normalized the idea of women running the state. The current administration seems keen to ensure that this was not a fleeting moment. By positioning Mhaiskar in Home and Bhide in the CMO—and potentially Sunetra Pawar in the Deputy CM’s chair—Chief Minister Fadnavis is curating a leadership team where "women’s power" is not just a slogan, but the operational reality of Maharashtra’s governance.

Comments

bottom of page