Anil Deshmukh: Most controversial Home Minister of Maharashtra

Hailing from Katol in Nagpur district, he has represented the constituency five times in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly

From being the Zilla Parishad Chairman in Nagpur to becoming the most-controversial Home Minister of Maharashtra, Anil Deshmukh has come a long way.

Always impeccably-dressed and possessing a good sense of humour, the 70-year-old Deshmukh, popularly known as Anil Babu, always makes his presence felt.

Deshmukh, however, now is under fire in the wake of allegations of corruption levelled by former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh. For the better part of his political life, this veteran has always been on the side of power.

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Hailing from Katol in Nagpur district, he represented the constituency five times in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Deshmukh hails from the village of Vad Vihira near Katol in Nagpur district. He attended Katol High school and later, he attended the College of Agriculture, Nagpur and received an M.Sc in Agriculture awarded by Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola.

He served as the Chairman of Nagpur Zilla Parishad – when he became known in Maharashtra’s political circles.

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In 1995, he contested as an Independent from Katol and became a minister in the Shiv Sena-BJP government, and worked under Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane – handling portfolios of Education and Culture.

In 1999, when NCP supremo Sharad Pawar floated the NCP, he joined in and went on to be a minister in the Congress-NCP Democratic Front government serving under four Chief Ministers – late Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan – and in these 15 years, he handled portfolios like Excise, Food and Drug Administration, Public Works, Food and Civil Supplies.

From 1995-2021, to be precise 26 years, he had been a minister for 21 years barring 2014-19, when the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP-Shiv Sena government was in power. When the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government came in power, the NCP made it clear that it would take the Home portfolio.

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There were many choices in NCP, but Pawar preferred him to handle the Home department. During the Covid-19 triggered lockdown and migration, he gave the police a free hand and also asked cops to apply oil in their lathis and be ready.

He also took lead in drafting the Shakti Bill on the lines of the Disha Act. On the intervening night of New Year, he sat in the Pune Police control room and answered calls. But somewhere, he started running fast and has now tumbled. It’s a matter of hours before his fate is decided.