After days of suspense over who gets Maharashtra’s home department, many senior IPS officers believe that with Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister and home minister, stability in police postings will be restored.
The state has a history of multiple power centres in police postings, leading to delays in transfers. During the Mahayuti government, there were flashpoints regarding transfers carried out by then chief minister Eknath Shinde, as Fadnavis was not happy about them.
Political parties have often disagreed on IPS transfers. Delays were common during the Congress-NCP government from 2009 to 2014, when NCP leader R R Patil was home minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan was chief minister. Fadnavis, during his previous tenure as chief minister, also held the home portfolio and had the final say on IPS transfers.
An official from the home department said Fadnavis is familiar with Maharashtra-cadre officers, their strengths and weaknesses and knows whom he wants for specific posts. In some instances, officers deemed fit for the job were recalled from central deputation, such as Datta Padsalgikar, who became Mumbai police commissioner as Fadnavis rated him highly. The same was the case with Subodh Jaiswal, his successor.
When the Maha Vikas Aghadi government came to power under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray of the undivided Shiv Sena in 2019, the home portfolio was held by NCP leader Anil Deshmukh, and his transfer orders for DCPs in Mumbai were rescinded at the chief minister’s instance as he was not informed about the changes.
Under the Mahayuti government, Shinde was involved in IPS transfers, with many officers lobbying for specific postings. The process lacked transparency, and Fadnavis was unhappy with some of Shinde’s decisions on postings, believing they were not transparent or based on merit.
The home portfolio has been a contentious issue in the current government formation, with both Fadnavis and Shinde vying for it. The home portfolio is considered powerful owing to its control over the police machinery. A BJP leader said the party has always insisted on this portfolio, which is why Shinde pursued it to ensure a balance of power after missing out on the chief minister’s position.
However, a senior official said that, as in 2014, Shinde may retain authority over postings and transfers in the Thane Police Commissionerate, his stronghold. Additionally, the thoughts of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar are likely to be considered for postings in Pune.
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