CM Shinde moves to appoint disgruntled MLA Bharat Gogawale as MSRTC chairman | Mumbai news

Mumbai: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has instructed the transport department to amend regulations, paving the way for Bharat Gogawale, a discontented MLA from Mahad, to be appointed as chairman of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). This marks the fourth such appointment of dissatisfied MLAs by Shinde’s party, occurring just days before the anticipated announcement of Assembly elections.

Shinde has been promising political appointments or cabinet induction to MLAs and leaders who supported him during the party split in June 2022. With cabinet expansion stalled for over two years, Shinde recently appointed Sanjay Shirsat, the party’s Sambhaji Nagar MLA, as chairman of CIDCO. Former MP Anand Adsul was named chairman of the SC/ST commission, while another ex-MP, Hemant Patil, now heads the Turmeric Research and Development Centre.

Gogawale’s proposed appointment faced a hurdle in existing regulations, which stipulate that only the transport minister can chair the MSRTC. “After we wrote to the transport department, they cited the Road Transport Corporation Act, which designates the transport minister as ex-officio chairman of the MSRTC. The CM has now directed the department to amend the rules to facilitate Gogawale’s appointment,” an official from the Chief Minister’s Office explained.

The official added that once the CM signs the department’s proposal, the formal order will be issued within two days.

In 2015, the Fadnavis government amended section 3(2) of the Act’s rules, mandating that the minister would be ex-officio chairman. Previously, the government could appoint political leaders to chair the state transport corporation, with Congress leader Jivan Gore being the last such appointee.

Gogawale, who had been a frontrunner for a cabinet position, had publicly expressed expectations of a ministerial role and even claimed the post of guardian minister for Raigad. Discontent has been growing within the party as MLAs and MPs await political positions following the split.

“The distribution of corporations and boards has been agreed upon between the three parties, with BJP overseeing SRA and other corporations, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP manages the textiles corporation and similar boards. The BJP is reluctant to make appointments to these state-run boards for just a few weeks,” a BJP leader commented.