Sources said Fadnavis summoned Chakankar to his official residence for a meeting on Friday evening and directed her to resign immediately. Later, she called on NCP Chairman Dy CM Sunetra Pawar and submitted her resignation letter. She retained her position as head of the women’s wing of the NCP.
Her resignation letter to Fadnavis said: “Due to personal reasons, I voluntarily resign from my position.” She will hold the position from October 2024.
Kalat (67) was arrested by Nashik city police on Wednesday after a woman (28) filed a complaint accusing him of sexually assaulting her multiple times over a period of three years from 2022 to 2025.
Chakankar is part of the temple trust headed by Kharat. After the controversy erupted, photos surfaced showing her washing Kalat’s feet, feeding him and holding an umbrella to protect him from the sun. She also compared him to Lord Vitthal in a video that later went viral.
Apart from the opposition, calls for Chakankar’s resignation also came from within the NCP, with the party’s Rupali Thombare Patil claiming Chakankar had failed to act on complaints against Kalat.
Chakankar told the media: “I have submitted my resignation letter to allow for a transparent investigation. My family believes Kalat was a mentor and we were present at his mentor purnima. We have no knowledge of the personal allegations against him.” I was shocked when I heard about this case. What happened was wrong and terrible. We do not support this behavior and the police need to investigate impartially. “
Chakankar admitted that she was initially the head of the Maharashtra State Temple Trust and later became a member of the Temple Trust. But she said the trust’s term ended in August 2025. “The videos and photos shown are old. My husband and I both washed Kalat’s feet during the Guru Purnima event.”
She also said the committee had taken immediate action on a complaint made against another member of the Karat Trust last year. “I will be filing defamation proceedings against those who have made false accusations against me,” she said.