Sena heavyweight’s son faces questions over appointment as pollution control board chief: Who is Siddhesh Kadam?

When the Maharashtra government on Wednesday appointed Siddhesh Kadam (41) as the new chairperson of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is likely to have breathed a sigh of relief at having resolved the infighting between former state minister Ramdas Kadam (70) and Mumbai North-West MP Gajanan Kirtikar (80).

The altercation between the two Sena heavyweights began last November when Kadam referred to Kiritkar’s age and questioned his fitness to be fielded again in the Lok Sabha elections. “He (Kirtikar) is getting old and if he is not going to contest the next election due to his age, the seat should go to Siddhesh,” Ramdas said, pitching his younger son as the sitting MP’s replacement. His elder son Yogesh is already an MLA from Dapoli in the coastal Ratnagiri district.

Siddhesh’s sudden appointment is being seen as a result of his father’s manoeuvrings. A day before the nomination, Ramdas had launched an attack on ally BJP for offering fewer Lok Sabha seats to the Sena than expected. He also alleged that minister Ravindra Chavan of the BJP had been regularly interfering in Yogesh’s Assembly segment.

After the announcement, a Sena source said Siddhesh, who is known for his urbane and “corporate” outlook, remains a contender for the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha ticket.

However, the news of Siddhesh’s appointment as one of the youngest pollution control board chairpersons ever is under a cloud over allegations that eligibility norms prescribed for the post were flouted for his nomination. Under existing rules, only a person with 25 years of experience in matters related to environmental protection, or having experience in institutions dealing with matters relating