Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Apr 1: A growing concern has emerged within the Mahayuti government, with several ministers reportedly remaining absent from the Mantralaya except during cabinet meetings.

Sources said many ministers are conducting official meetings and interacting with officers from their private residences instead of attending offices at Mantralaya. For such meetings, staff and official machinery are often moved from the secretariat to the ministers’ bungalows, raising concerns over administrative functioning.

Officials are allegedly taking key decisions in the absence of ministers, leading to questions about accountability and governance. Similar concerns had surfaced during action by the Anti-Corruption Bureau at the office of Narhari Zirwal, where it was alleged that decisions were being handled largely by officials.

Sources indicated that following consecutive elections in the state, several ministers have been stationed in their respective constituencies, rarely visiting Mantralaya apart from mandatory cabinet meetings. This has sparked criticism, especially after significant public funds were spent on refurbishing ministerial offices.

The absence of ministers is reportedly affecting day-to-day administrative work, with delays in file clearances and a perceived lack of transparency in decision-making. In many cases, policy-level decisions are said to be taken at the bureaucratic level, raising concerns over imbalance in responsibility.

Opposition parties have also targeted the government over the issue, questioning who is effectively in control of the administration if ministers remain absent. There have been demands for ministers to regularly attend Mantralaya and oversee governance directly.

Meanwhile, a state cabinet meeting is scheduled at 12 noon on Wednesday. Ahead of this, a pre-cabinet meeting of the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Ajit Pawar is expected to be held in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar.

The meeting is likely to discuss the controversy surrounding a viral video involving minister Narhari Zirwal, with opposition parties demanding his resignation. Attention is also focused on whether Zirwal will attend both the party’s pre-cabinet meeting and the cabinet session later in the day.