Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after one of his close aides was arrested in connection with the December 2024 murder of a village sarpanch in Beed district.

Following his resignation, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader stated that he stepped down partly for health reasons while strongly condemning the brutal murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the village headman of Massajog.

In a statement posted on X, Munde expressed his distress at recently revealed photos of the crime scene, saying, "My firm demand from the first day is that the accused in the brutal murder of the late Santosh Deshmukh of Massajog in Beed district should be given the strictest punishment. Seeing the photos that came to light yesterday, I was deeply distressed."

Chief Minister Fadnavis confirmed accepting Munde's resignation and forwarding it to Governor CP Radhakrishnan for approval. The resignation came amid mounting pressure from opposition leaders during the ongoing Budget session, who demanded Munde step down after graphic images of the murder began circulating on social media.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) MLA Aaditya Thackeray insisted that Munde's resignation was insufficient, calling for the dismissal of the Fadnavis government altogether. Thackeray cited deteriorating law and order in Maharashtra, declaring, "The accused should be publicly hanged."