Anil Deshmukh

Anil Vasantrao Deshmukh (born 9 May 1950) is an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra.

He first got elected to Maharashtra state assembly in 1995 from Katol as an independent candidate.

He served as Minister of State in the BJP–Shiv Sena coalition government in 1995.

His portfolios in that government included Education, and Culture.

Anil Deshmukh held the portfolio of Minister of State for School Education, Higher & Technical Education, Cultural Affairs in the government of Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999.

As the Minister of State for School Education, he started the initiative to regulate the burgeoning private coaching classes, where the teachers employed by schools simultaneously ran private coaching institutions.

Deshmukh is said to have been involved in setting up the Maharashtra Bhushan award, the highest civilian honour in the state of Maharashtra.

Famous personalities including Purushottam Laxman Deshpande, Lata Mangeshkar and Sunil Gavaskar have received this award since.

He was active in the drive to reduce the weight of bags carried by students enrolled in schools affiliated with Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education.

Deshmukh held the portfolio of Minister of State for School Education, Information and Public Relations, Sports & Youth Welfare in the Maharashtra Government during this period.

Under his charge, the construction of India's second-largest air-conditioned indoor sports stadium began in Nagpur.

Deshmukh was a Cabinet Minister in the Maharashtra government during this period and held the State Excise, Food & Drugs portfolio.

During his tenure, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed the law to ban gutka, a form of chewing tobacco which contains carcinogens in the state.

During this period, Deshmukh was the Minister of Public Works (Public Undertakings) in the Maharashtra government.

He administered the department during the final few phases of the development of the Bandra–Worli Sea Link, a project which had already suffered delays of multiple years.

He later joined the Nationalist Congress Party, a party formed in 1999.

When the NCP–Congress alliance came to power in Maharashtra in 1999, he initially served as Minister of State for School Education, Information and Public Relations, Sports & Youth Welfare.

He was promoted as a Cabinet Minister in the state government.

As a cabinet minister from 2001 to 2014, he was in-charge for the following departments:

The project was finally completed in 2009.

Deshmukh has been a member of 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, representing Katol (Vidhan Sabha constituency).

He had previously served as Minister of Food & Civil supplies and Consumer affairs, Minister of Public Works Department, Minister of State for School Education, Information and Public Relations, Minister of State for Sports & Youth affairs and Minister of State for Education and Culture in the Government of Maharashtra.

Deshmukh hails from the village of Vad Vihira near Katol in Nagpur district.

He attended Katol High school.

Later, he attended the College of Agriculture, Nagpur and received a Master of Science degree in Agriculture awarded by Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth.

Deshmukh served as the chairman of Nagpur Zilla Parishad during initial years of his political career.

He represented that constituency until 2014.

Deshmukh lost the Katol seat to his nephew, Ashish Deshmukh in 2014 assembly elections.

He is a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).Deshmukh served as the Minister for Home Affairs in Government of Maharashtra between 2019 and 2021.

Deshmukh resigned in 2021 as the Home Minister of Maharashtra due to allegations of extortion and laundering charges and is currently in judicial custody.

However, he regained the Katol seat as the NCP candidate in the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections.

Deshmukh was appointed Home Minister of Maharashtra when the MVA alliance of NCP, Shiv sena and Congress led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray came to power in November 2019.

In addition to his portfolio, Deshmukh is also the Guardian Minister of Gondia district.

Deshmukh took charge of the Home Ministry of Maharashtra in the MVA coalition government led by Uddhav Thackeray after the 2019 Maharashtra political crisis.

He proposed the establishment of a specialized treatment center for the police personnel infected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the Home Minister, he tabled the proposed Shakti Bill in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly which sought to modify provisions pertaining to sexual offences against women and children.

The bill was ultimately sent for review to a committee of the Legislative Assembly after an outcry from various women's rights groups and activists.

As a Home Minister, he introduced the ‘Self Balancing Electric Scooters’ (Segway) for Mumbai Police personnel that would help them while on patrolling duty.

He famously attended the complaint calls at the Pune city police control room on New Year's Eve and celebrated the same with police personnel.

During his tenure, the home ministry declared ₹5000000 ex gratia to the families of police personnel who lost their lives to COVID-19.