Maharashtra Sports Minister and NCP leader Manikrao Kokate resigned from his post on Wednesday, hours after a Nashik sessions court upheld his conviction in a nearly three-decade-old housing scam case. The development has triggered political churn within the ruling Mahayuti alliance and intensified pressure on Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
The sessions court confirmed the two-year prison sentence earlier awarded to Kokate in connection with a 1995 case involving the alleged misuse of a 10 per cent quota reserved for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in a housing scheme. Following the court’s decision, Kokate stepped down from the ministry, which has now been placed under the charge of Ajit Pawar.
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Kokate and his brother, Vijay Kokate, were found guilty of offences including cheating and forgery. The court’s ruling upheld the magistrate’s earlier verdict, strengthening the legal case against the former minister.
With the sentence standing at two years, Kokate now faces the possibility of immediate disqualification from the Maharashtra legislature, unless the conviction is stayed by a higher court, as mandated under election law. The episode has further sharpened focus on accountability within the state’s ruling coalition.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
