NCP MLA Sunil Shelke Accused Of Large-Scale Mining Royalty Evasion By Uddhav Sena
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Pune, July 3, 2025: The Shiv Sena (UBT) has levelled serious allegations against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Sunil Shelke, accusing him of evading mining royalty payments worth thousands of crores of rupees. In a letter addressed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut has demanded immediate action, calling the alleged evasion a “blatant loot” of public resources.
Raut alleged that Shelke, without obtaining necessary permissions, carried out extensive quarrying operations in the Maval constituency, extracting minerals such as sand, gravel, and murrum. Despite this, no royalty payments were made to the state government as required under the Maharashtra Minor Mineral Extraction (Development and Regulation) Rules, 2013.
“Sunil Shelke and his associates have been involved in illegal extraction of minerals, causing massive losses to the exchequer. This is nothing short of cheating the state,” Raut stated in his letter.
He also highlighted a 2023 application made by Shelke and his brother to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) for compensation of land acquired by the government. “They were granted alternative land as compensation. This raises a serious question — why was compensation granted in this case when countless farmers whose fertile land was acquired never received any such benefit?” Raut asked.
Raut further demanded that the chief minister intervene and issue directives to stop the alleged misuse of government resources, and to recover the unpaid royalties.
MLA Shelke, currently attending the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, has not issued any public response to the allegations.
Shelke was first elected from Maval in the 2019 state elections, defeating two-time BJP MLA Bala Bhegade. He retained his seat in the 2024 Assembly elections, defeating Independent candidate Bapu Jaywantrao Bhegade. He is currently aligned with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP.
