Overview

• The Protocol Department’s circular names NCP’s Aditi Tatkare to hoist the flag in Raigad and BJP’s Girish Mahajan in Nashik on August 15.
• Shinde Sena’s Bharat Gogawale and Dada Bhuse were passed over for the ceremonial duties after months of lobbying for the guardian minister posts.
• Guardian minister appointments for both districts were stayed in January amid coalition disputes and remain unresolved ahead of local body elections.
• Flag‐hoisting roles are treated as high‐visibility signals of administrative control and grassroots influence in Maharashtra politics.
• Some Shinde Sena figures have publicly accepted the circular’s outcome, hinting at compromise, even as analysts view the move as tilting power toward Ajit Pawar’s NCP alongside the BJP.