Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday accepted Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rathod’s resignation as the state’s forest minister, hours after it was sent to him by the Maharashtra government. Rathod, whose name had emerged in connection with the death of a 22-year old woman, tendered his resignation to chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on February 28.Rathod''s resignation letter was forwarded from the Chief Minister''s Office (CMO) to the Raj Bhavan at 4 pm on Thursday, the statement added.
Rathod had resigned from the state cabinet on Sunday, on the eve of the state legislature''s budget session. He had submitted the resignation to the chief minister, who had accepted it then. Rathod belongs to the Shiv Sena, which heads the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state. The four-term MLA faces allegations of complicity in the death of Puja Chavan (23), a resident of Beed district, who was found dead in Pune on February 8, apparently after falling off from the building in which she lived. The BJP had accused Rathod of having links with the woman after his purported photographs, audio and video clips with her went viral on social media.