Shinnar MLA and five-time NCP chief Manikrao Kokate has lengthy cultivated a complicated public picture in Maharashtra, usually attracting consideration for his fastidiously tailor-made appears. However this picture has been badly tarnished in latest months as he has discovered himself on the middle of a collection of controversies which have made him one of the “troublesome” ministers within the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti authorities.
The scenario reached a breaking level on Tuesday when a Nashik court docket upheld Kokate’s two-year jail sentence in a case associated to unlawful allotment of presidency flats underneath the Prime Minister’s discretionary quota utilizing solid paperwork.
Mr Kokate was stripped of his sports activities and minority affairs portfolio on Wednesday, though the conviction additionally jeopardizes his membership in parliament, in an indication that the NCP and authorities are going through new challenges.
“A choice on Kokate’s resignation might be taken later. For now, he continues as minister with none portfolio,” stated a senior NCP official.
Kokate was earlier a part of the undivided Shiv Sena and joined the Congress when Sharad Pawar’s NCP break up in 2023, and ultimately joined Ajit Pawar’s NCP. After Mr Mahayuti’s victory in 2024, he was appointed minister and held the important thing agriculture portfolio.
His tenure as agriculture minister was additionally marred by bickering. At a gathering in Amravati in February, Kokate referred to the 1 rupee crop insurance coverage scheme and stated, “Even a beggar is not going to settle for a 1 rupee handout, however the authorities is providing crop insurance coverage at this worth and even that is being misused.”
The plan has since come underneath scrutiny, with authorities saying that greater than 400,000 functions had been rejected for fraud. The minister acknowledged that some candidates had misrepresented non-agricultural land as agricultural land, however argued that the federal government had not suffered any loss as a result of claims weren’t paid for rejected functions.
Nonetheless, Kokate insisted that the crop insurance coverage scheme wouldn’t be abolished. “Whereas some incorrect entries might have resulted within the software being rejected, the system was general helpful. Sadly, sure elements turned it right into a rip-off,” he stated.
In April, Kokate once more angered farmers when he accused them of defaulting on crop loans within the hope of forgiveness. “Even when they get a mortgage, they default for 5 to 10 years hoping will probably be forgiven. Farmers are usually not investing of their land,” he stated.
Three months later, a video shared by NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar purportedly confirmed Kokate taking part in an internet rummy card sport contained in the Legislative Meeting and he discovered himself in the midst of one other row.
Kokate denied the allegations and stated he was not taking part in rummy. “I used to be making an attempt to look at YouTube to search out out what was happening in Congress. Somebody was downloading a sport on their cellphone and I simply tried to skip it,” he claimed.
His clarification did little to quell criticism, and on August 1, Mr Kokate was offered the agriculture portfolio and given the sports activities division.
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The case was filed on the idea of a grievance filed by former minister Tukaram Dighole and its origins date again to 1995. Mr. Dighole had accused Kokate and his brother Sunil of forging paperwork to accumulate two flats at Nirman View Flats on School Highway in Yorekal Malla in Nashik.
In February this 12 months, the Nashik District Court docket had sentenced Manikrao Kokate to 2 years’ imprisonment within the case involving forgery and fraud associated to unlawful allotment of flats underneath the Prime Minister’s discretionary quota. The court docket additionally imposed a effective of Rs 50,000 on Kokate. His youthful brother Sunil Kokate was additionally convicted.
Mr Dihal, a three-time MLA and former Congress chief, was defeated by Mr Kokate within the 1999 parliamentary elections when he was first elected as an MLA. Mr. Dighall handed away in 2019.
In line with prosecutors, the Kokate brothers “falsely” claimed that they belonged to a low-income group and didn’t personal some other property, and that they have been subsequently in a position to safe an residence underneath the CM’s 10% voluntary housing quota. Investigators later found that the paperwork submitted to assist their functions have been solid.
Kokate had challenged the conviction, however the Classes Court docket has now upheld the district court docket’s determination, setting apart the order directing him at hand over the flat to the Maharashtra Housing and Space Improvement Authority (MHADA). He appealed in opposition to the judgment of the Bombay Excessive Court docket.
