Dilip Walse Patil, the current minister for labour, and excise, will replace Anil Deshmukh as Maharashtra home minister. Deshmukh’s resignation came a day after the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI inquiry into corruption allegations levelled against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh. “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.
Dilip Walse Patil is a seasoned politician. The son of former Congress MLA and Sharad Pawar’s friend Dattatray Walse Patil, Dilip started his career as Sharad Pawar’s personal assistant. In 1990, he fought his first election on a Congress ticket from the Ambegaon Assembly constituency and won. He has held the seat since. In1999, Dilip Walse Patil followed Sharad Pawar into the NCP and soon became a minister in Vilasrao Deshmukh’s cabinet. He was given charge of power and medical education. Over the years, Dilip Walse Patil has also held the finance and planning portfolio. Between 2009 and 2014, he also served as the speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly.