Maharashtra women's panel chief quits over astrologer row

MUMBAI/PUNE: NCP politician Rupali Chakankar, who is under a cloud after her alleged links to rape-accused astrologer Ashok Kharat came to light, resigned from her post as chairperson of the Maharashtra State Women's Commission after being asked to step down by CM Devendra Fadnavis.

Sources said Fadnavis summoned Chakankar to his official residence for a meeting on Friday evening and directed that she resign immediately. She then called on Dy CM Sunetra Pawar, who is also NCP chief, and handed over her resignation letter. She retains her post as chief of NCP women's wing.





Her resignation letter, addressed to Fadnavis, said, "I am resigning from the post voluntarily owing to personal reasons." She had occupied the position from Oct 2024.

Kharat (67) was arrested by Nashik city police on Wednesday after a complaint by a woman (28) who accused him of sexually assaulting her repeatedly for three years between 2022 and 2025.

Chakankar has been part of a temple trust headed by Kharat. After the controversy broke, images surfaced showing her washing Kharat's feet, being fed by him and holding an umbrella to shield him from the sun. She had also compared him to Lord Vitthal in a video which later went viral.

Besides the opposition, calls for Chakankar's resignation also came from within the NCP, with Rupali Thombare Patil from the party alleging Chakankar had not acted on complaints against Kharat.

Speaking to the media, Chakankar said, "I have sent in my resignation letter to allow for a transparent probe. My family believed in Kharat as a guru, and we have been present at his guru purnima functions. We did not know anything about the personal allegations against him. I was shocked when I heard about this case. What happened is wrong and terrible. We do not support it, and police need to probe it impartially."

Chakankar admitted she was part of the temple trust initially as its Maharashtra chief and then as member. But she said the tenure of the trust ended in Aug 2025. "The videos and photos shown are old. My husband and I both washed Kharat's feet during a guru purnima function."

She also said the commission had immediately acted on complaints against another member of Kharat's trust last year. "I will be filing defamation cases against those who made false allegations against me," she said.