After 1999 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election, he became the Rural Development Minister of Maharashtra in the Congress-NCP coalition government in October 1999. He became the Home Minister of Maharashtra on 25 December 2003. After taking charge of Home Ministry, he also sought guardianship of naxal activity affected district Gadchiroli. Since then, in spite of many naxal attacks, he encouraged natives to support elected government through some developmental work for them. On 1 November 2004, he was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He was also the chief of the Nationalist Congress Party's Maharashtra unit and NCP legislative party in Maharashtra.
