Sunil Tatkare

Sunil Dattatray Tatkare (born 10 July 1955) is an Indian politician currently serving as the Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from the Raigad constituency in Maharashtra. A senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), he has held several key ministerial portfolios in the Government of Maharashtra, including Finance, Energy, Water Resources, and Food and Civil Supplies. On 3 July 2023, he was appointed State President of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) in Maharashtra. ^[1]

Sunil Tatkare
Tatkare in 2014
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office 2019
Preceded by	Anant Geete
Constituency	Raigad
President of Nationalist Congress Party – Maharashtra
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 July 2023
President	Ajit Pawar
Preceded by	Jayant Patil
In office 25 June 2014 – 29 April 2018
President	Sharad Pawar
Preceded by	Bhaskar Jadhav
Succeeded by	Jayant Patil
Member of Maharashtra Legislative Council
In office 14 August 2014 – 27 July 2018
Preceded by	Vinayak Raut
Constituency	elected by Members of Legislative Assembly
Minister of Water Resources Government of Maharashtra
In office 11 November 2010 – 28 September 2014
Chief Minister	Prithviraj Chavan
Preceded by	Ajit Pawar
Succeeded by	Girish Mahajan
Minister of Finance & Planning Government of Maharashtra
In office 7 November 2009 – 11 November 2010
Chief Minister	Ashok Chavan
Preceded by	Dilip Walse Patil
Succeeded by	Ajit Pawar
Minister of Energy Government of Maharashtra
In office 8 December 2008 – 7 November 2009
Chief Minister	Ashok Chavan
Preceded by	Dilip Walse Patil
Succeeded by	Ajit Pawar
Minister of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Protection Government of Maharashtra
In office 1 November 2004 – 8 December 2008
Chief Minister	Vilasrao Deshmukh
Preceded by	Sushilkumar Shinde
Succeeded by	Ramesh Bang
Minister of State Government of Maharashtra
In office 18 October 1999 – 18 January 2003
Chief Minister	Vilasrao Deshmukh
Department	Urban Development Ports
Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
In office 2009–2014
Preceded by	Tukaram Surve
Succeeded by	Avdhoot Tatkare
Constituency	Shrivardhan
In office 1995–2009
Preceded by	Ashok Sabale
Succeeded by	Constituency defunct
Constituency	Mangaon
Personal details
Born	Sunil Dattatray Tatkare (1955-07-10) 10 July 1955 (age 70) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Political party	Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar Faction) (2023–present)
Other political affiliations	Nationalist Congress Party (1999–2023) Indian National Congress (till 1999)
Spouse	Varda Tatkare (m. 1981)
Children	2 (Aniket, Aditi)
Parents	Dattatray Tatkare (father) Geeta Tatkare (mother)
Relatives	Anil Tatkare (brother) Avdhoot Tatkare (nephew)
Residence(s)	Sutarwadi, Raigad, Maharashtra
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Early life and education

Tatkare was born on 10 July 1955 in Mumbai to Dattatray Tatkare and Geeta Tatkare. He was raised in Kolad, a town in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. His father, Dattatray Tatkare, was a respected local leader who served as the Chairperson of the Panchayat Samiti in the Raigad District Council for 17 years, laying the foundation for the family's longstanding political influence in the region.

Tatkare completed his higher secondary education at Kolad High School, and went on to pursue Inter Science at Fergusson College, Pune, although he did not complete the degree. Before entering politics, he worked as a government road contractor.

Political career

Tatkare began his political journey in 1984 by joining the Indian National Congress. In 1985, he contested his first election from the Mangaon constituency for the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly but lost. In the 1990 elections, he was denied a party ticket, temporarily halting his electoral run. However, he gained ground politically when he served as the President of the Raigad Zilla Parishad from 1992 to 1995. In 1995, he was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from the Mangaon constituency and went on to represent it for three consecutive terms until 2009. During this period, he became a senior figure in the newly formed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and held several key ministerial positions in the Maharashtra state government. He served as the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies from 2004 to 2008, was appointed Energy Minister in 2008, and became the Finance Minister in 2009. In 2010, he was given charge of the crucial Water Resources portfolio, a position he held until 2014. ^[2]

In 2009, following the delimitation of constituencies, Tatkare contested and won from the newly formed Shrivardhan constituency, serving as its MLA until 2014. ^[3] In the same year, he contested the Raigad Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 general elections, but was defeated by Shiv Sena leader and sitting MP Anant Geete. ^[4] Following this setback, he was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council and served as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) from 2014 to 2018. ^[5] In the 2019 general elections, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Raigad in the Lok Sabha ^[6] and retained the seat in the 2024 elections. ^[7] On 3 July 2023, he was appointed State President of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) in Maharashtra, further solidifying his stature as a key political figure in the state. ^[8]

Personal life

Sunil Tatkare is married to Varda Tatkare. The couple has two children, Aditi and Aniket, both of whom are active in Maharashtra politics. He is the most prominent figure of the Tatkare political family, which holds significant political influence in the Raigad district and Konkan region.

His daughter, Aditi Tatkare, is a Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for Shrivardhan and currently serves as the Minister for Women and Child Development in the Maharashtra government. ^[9] His son, Aniket Tatkare, served as a Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) representing the Raigad-Ratnagiri Local Authorities Constituency from 2018 to 2024. ^[10]

Tatkare’s elder brother, Anil Tatkare, has also served as an MLC from the Raigad-Ratnagiri local authorities seat. ^[11] His nephew, Avadhut Tatkare, was elected as an MLA for Shrivardhan and served a term from 2014 to 2019. ^[12]

Controversies

Tatkare has faced several allegations over the years. The Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sought permission from the state government to conduct an open inquiry against him in cases relating to land grabs and disproportionate assets. ^[13] The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also initiated a probe into his alleged accumulation of wealth beyond known sources of income. ^[14]