NCP leader and Minister of Excise and Labour Dilip Walse Patil has replaced Anil Deshmukh as Maharashtra home minister. Deshmukh resigned on Monday after the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI probe into the allegations of extortion against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
Patil, the MLA from Ambegaon, was the personal assistant to Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, in the former's younger days and is considered close to Pawar. He also enjoys the reputation being an efficient minister.
Son of former Congress MLA Dattatray Walse Patil, he won the Ambegaon assembly seat seven times ever since he began his political innings in 1990. He followed Pawar into NCP, and has held many portfolios over the years, including finance and planning. He had also served as the Maharashtra assembly speaker between 2009 and 2014.
Deshmukh had submitted his resignation letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. "I don't have the moral right to continue in office after the court order.I have decided to quit. Kindly relieve me from my post," Deshmukh's resignation letter said.
After the court order, Deshmukh met NCP president Sharad Pawar and expressed his desire to step down as he felt it was inappropriate to continue in office after the CBI steps in, NCP minister Nawab Malik had told reporters.
—With inputs from Dnyanesh Jathar, PTI