Maharashtra Guv accepts resignation of state forest minister Sanjay Rathod

New Delhi, Mar 4: Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari accepted the resignation of Forest Minister Sanjay Rathod. The Raj Bhavan gave the information in a statement.

It said the governor also accepted Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's request that he be given the charge of the forest portfolio held by Rathod.

Rathod's resignation letter was forwarded from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) to the Raj Bhavan at 4 pm on Thursday, the statement added.

Rathod had resigned from the state cabinet on Sunday, on the eve of the state legislature's budget session. He had submitted the resignation to the chief minister, who had accepted it then. Rathod belongs to the Shiv Sena, which heads the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state.

The four-term MLA faces allegations of complicity in the death of Puja Chavan (23), a resident of Beed district, who was found dead in Pune on February 8, apparently after falling off from the building in which she lived.

"Attempts were made to tarnish my image and destroy my reputation I had built after 30 years of socialwork. I was saying that let the probe happen before taking any decision. But the opposition threatened to disrupt the budget session," Rathod said.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said the resignation of the minister wasn't enough and demanded that an FIR should be filed against him. The BJP has accused Rathod of having links with the woman after his purported photographs,audio and video clips with her went viral on social media