NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar has accused Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate of playing an online card game for 18-22 minutes during a legislative session, citing a probe report submitted to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Kokate, from Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction, denied the claim, insisting a rummy notification appeared briefly on his phone, which he skipped.

Pawar, who first shared a video exposing Kokate’s actions during the recently concluded monsoon session, challenged the government’s response in a post on X. “The report confirms the minister played for 18-22 minutes, not 42 seconds,” he stated, questioning whether the Fadnavis-led government would act against Kokate. He took a swipe at Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, asking if inaction would tarnish their claims to the legacies of Yashwantrao Chavan and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The controversy has sparked outrage, with Pawar demanding accountability for Kokate’s alleged distraction in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, raising questions about discipline and governance in the state’s ruling coalition.

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