The dispute over Nashik’s guardian minister has resurfaced after a Simhastha Kumbh Mela booklet described BJP leader Girish Mahajan as the Maharashtra district’s “Guardian and Kumbh Mela Minister”, despite the ruling Shiv Sena continuing to oppose his appointment and back Dada Bhuse for the post.

No government order has been issued appointing Mahajan as the guardian minister since his earlier appointment was stayed in January 2025.

With the Kumbh preparations gathering pace in the district, the competing claims of coalition partners—the BJP, Shinde-led Sena, and NCP—over the guardian minister are once again in focus.

Mahajan was appointed Nashik’s guardian minister on January 18, 2025, but the order was stayed the following day after objections from the Sena, which argued that Bhuse, a Nashik leader and former guardian minister, should get the post. The issue has remained unresolved since then.

The BJP continues to back Mahajan, who is overseeing preparations for the Kumbh and also holds the water resources and disaster management portfolios. The NCP, meanwhile, has staked its claim through senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who represents the Yeola constituency in the district.

The dispute was among the early points of friction within the Mahayuti government. In January 2025, Shinde said the matter would be resolved through discussions, but no fresh appointment followed.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis subsequently sought to separate the Kumbh preparations from the dispute over the guardian minister’s post. In June 2025, he said Mahajan, Bhuse, Bhujbal, and NCP leader Narhari Zirwal were all working on the preparations.

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“Guardian ministers come and go. Don’t bring politics into this,” Fadnavis then said.

Rs 22,000 crore for Kumbh-related works

Mahajan has since taken a prominent role in Kumbh-related events. On June 11, 2026, he attended the foundation ceremony for a 51-foot flagmast at Ramkund. On July 19, he inaugurated the Kumbh Mela authority office and reviewed preparations.

The booklet’s description of Mahajan has now revived the question of whether his role in overseeing the Kumbh is being conflated with the separate post of Nashik guardian minister.

The first major ceremony of the Simhastha Kumbh is scheduled for October 31, 2026, while the main Amrit Snan is scheduled for 2027. More than Rs 22,000 crore has been approved for development works linked to the event.