Back in Mumbai from his trip to freezing Davos in Switzerland, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to douse the flames within the Mahayuti government that have been raging since the announcement of guardian ministers for the state’s 36 districts.

Fadnavis is to hold a cabinet meeting and is also likely to hold a separate meeting with the deputy chief minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar to discuss the fate of Dhananjay Munde, the state food and supplies minister unhappy at having been dropped from the list of guardian ministers.

The missing name from the list is the least of Munde’s and the Mahayuti government’s troubles right now. The NCP and Fadnavis are under pressure to drop Munde, an OBC leader from the cabinet, after his name cropped up in a murder case.

A close associate of Munde, Walmik Karad, has been arrested in connection with the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog in Beed district.

Deshmukh was abducted, tortured and killed on December 9 last year, allegedly for opposing an “extortion attempt” on an energy firm running a windmill project in the area.

The BJP has demanded Munde’s removal from the cabinet.

“If there is credible evidence linking Munde to the murder of the sarpanch, the chief minister will ask for his resignation,” said Chandrakant Patil, a Maharashtra BJP leader and the state minister for higher and technical education.

“The prime accused, Karad, has been booked under MCOCA [Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act], a special investigation team has been formed and a retired judge has been appointed to monitor the probe,” Patil said.

On Monday, anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania met Ajit Pawar with “evidence” linking Munde to Karad at his bungalow Devgiri in south Mumbai’s Malabar Hill.

“I gave all the evidence that I had collected and told the NCP chief of what was going on in Beed. Munde’s wife and Karad are business partners. This is a clear case of office of profit and Munde should resign,” Damania said late on Monday night after her meeting with Pawar.

Munde, who had not taken kindly to being dropped from the list of guardian ministers, had said in a public meeting last week that he had warned Ajit Pawar from joining hands with the BJP.

“I had requested Ajit dada not to participate in the early morning swearing-in ceremony,” Munde said.

On November 23, 2019 Fadnavis had taken oath as chief minister in an early morning ceremony at the Mumbai Raj Bhawan, with Ajit Pawar as his deputy.

The government did not last beyond 80 hours and Fadnavis had to step down, paving the way for the undivided Shiv Sena and NCP along with the Congress to form the MVA government.