In a significant blow to the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, senior NCP minister and five-time Sinnar MLA Manikrao Kokate has been stripped of his remaining portfolios. This decisive action comes a day after a Nashik sessions court upheld his two-year prison sentence in a decades-old case involving the illegal allotment of a government flat.
Court Verdict Seals Fate, Assembly Membership in Jeopardy
The legal troubles for Kokate solidified on Tuesday, December 17, 2025, when the sessions court confirmed the district court's earlier verdict. He was convicted and sentenced to two years' imprisonment for fraud and forgery in a 1995 case related to the illegal acquisition of a flat under the Chief Minister's discretionary quota. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000.
This conviction directly threatens Kokate's membership in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Following the court's decision, and in a clear indication of the escalating political crisis, the NCP and the state government moved swiftly. On Wednesday, Kokate was divested of the Sports and Minority Affairs departments, leaving him a minister without portfolio.
"A decision on Kokate's resignation will be taken later. As of now, he continues to be a minister without any portfolio," a senior NCP leader stated. Kokate has now appealed the verdict in the Bombay High Court.
A Long-Standing Legal Battle Over Discretionary Quota Flats
The case, which has finally caught up with the politician, has its roots in 1995. It was filed based on a complaint by former Congress minister and three-time MLA Tukaram Dighole, who was defeated by Kokate in the 1999 Assembly polls. Dighole accused Kokate and his brother Sunil of forging documents to secure two flats in Nashik's Nirman View Apartments.
The prosecution successfully argued that the Kokate brothers falsely claimed to belong to a low-income group and declared they owned no other property. This allowed them to illegally obtain flats under the CM's 10% discretionary housing quota. Investigators later found the supporting documents were forged. Sunil Kokate was also convicted in the case.
A Series of Controversies Marred Ministerial Tenure
Even before this legal setback, Kokate's tenure as a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government was marked by repeated controversies, earning him a reputation as one of its most "troublesome" ministers.
He was first given the crucial Agriculture portfolio after the Mahayuti's 2024 victory. However, his comments soon sparked rows. In February, he drew criticism for comparing the government's Re 1 crop insurance scheme to alms for beggars. The scheme later faced scrutiny over irregularities in lakhs of applications.
In April, he angered farmers by accusing them of defaulting on loans in anticipation of waivers. His troubles compounded in July when a video, shared by NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, purportedly showed him playing online rummy inside the Legislative Council. Kokate denied the allegations, claiming he was trying to access YouTube.
The cumulative effect of these controversies led to his removal from the Agriculture Ministry on August 1. He was then given the Sports and Minority Affairs departments, which have now also been taken away following the court's verdict.
Kokate's political journey has seen him switch parties, moving from the undivided Shiv Sena to the Congress, and finally to Ajit Pawar's NCP during the party's split in 2023. His future now hinges on the Bombay High Court's decision, as he battles to retain his political career and avoid a jail term.
