Subhash Deshmukh the richest * Five farmer-ministers are crorepatis * Nine have criminal cases against them
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' new council of ministers is not just heavy on caste and regional dynamics, but also consists of legislators with deep pockets. Fadnavis inducted 10 new faces (and elevated one MoS to cabinet rank) on Friday.
The 10 ministers are collectively worth Rs 81 crore as evident from their election affidavits. The six BJP ministers have assets worth Rs 68 crore. The two Shiv Sena ministers possess over Rs 10.8 crore.
Seven new ministers are farmers by profession and five are crorepatis. On the education front, only three are graduates and three hold professional diplomas. One has passed class VII, two have passed SSC and one class XI.
Six of them have several criminal cases against them. They relate to corruption, kidnapping, abetment to suicide, forgery and cheating, denting Fadnavis' claim of clean governance.
The richest among the 10 is Subhash Deshmukh, BJP MLA from Solapur south. He declared assets worth Rs 35 crore in his affidavit during the 2014 Assembly polls. He faces at least 10 criminal cases, including impersonation and rioting.
BJP MLA Ravindra Chavan (45) comes next with assets worth Rs 8.7 crore. The Dombivli MLA, who has passed Class X, describes himself as a retailer of fish and sea food. He has a dozen criminal cases against him, including kidnapping and issuing death threats.
Jaykumar Rawal (40), a farmer and businessman, has assets worth Rs 8.5 crore. The BJP representative from the Sindhkheda constituency (Dhule) and his wife own 83 acres of agricultural land and some non-agricultural plots. He is a graduate from Pune University and faces two criminal cases.
BJP MLA from Yavatmal, Madan Yerawar (53), and his wife have assets worth Rs 7.8 crore. A pharma diploma holder, he has one case against him. Senior BJP leader Pandurang Fundkar (63), who declared himself as a farmer in his election affidavit, has assets worth Rs 5.3 crore, including a flat at the posh Shubhada Apartments in Worli and a home at his native place. He is a graduate.
Sambhajirao Patil Nilangekar (39), BJP MLA from Nilnaga, calls himself as farmer. He had assets worth Rs 3.3 crore in 2014, including two flats, one house, commercial space, farms and other land.
Nilangekar, who holds a student pilot licence, has six criminal cases, including rioting and assault of a public servant, against him. While his father had been chief minister of the state, he claims to be a farmer.
MoS Gulab Patil (50), a farmer and businessman, holds assets worth Rs 4.7 crore with his wife and dependent son. He has passed Class X and represents the Jalgaon (rural) seat. Patil has 10 criminal cases against him. He was arrested by the Jalgaon police on June 16 for allegedly transferring a piece of school land in his name wrongfully.
MoS Arjun Khotkar (54), Sena MLA from Jalna, a farmer and social worker, possesses assets worth Rs 6 crore. The commerce graduate has three criminal cases against him. The “poorest” are ministers from allied parties.
MoS Sadashiv Khot (50), the MLC who heads the farmers organisation Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana, holds assets worth Rs 90 lakh with his wife and mother.
Mahadeo Jankar (48), who represents the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha in the Upper House and is a bachelor, has assets worth Rs76 lakh, mainly in the form of agricultural land. He holds a diploma in electrical engineering and has no criminal case against him.
Prof Ram Shinde (47), who was elevated from MoS to cabinet rank, has assets worth Rs 72 lakh. The BJP MLA from Jamkhed holds MSc and BEd degrees and faces four criminal cases. He also describes himself as a farmer.
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