Fadnavis Orders Probe into VITS Hotel Auction, Blow to Shinde

Another big news has come out from Maharashtra politics. A big scam has come to light in the purchase of Hotel VITS located in Sambhajinagar. This hotel worth Rs 150 crore was sold for just Rs 65 crore. Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat Shinde's son Siddhant Shirsat's company 'Siddhant Material Procurement and Suppliers' has bought this hotel. After the allegations of the opposition, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a high-level investigation into the VITS Hotel auction case. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has said that the entire process has been canceled. Now a new process will be started to issue tenders afresh.

Actually, this whole matter is related to Deputy CM Eknath Shinde's faction and Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shinde in the Fadnavis government. Sanjay Shinde's son Siddhant Shirsat has been accused of serious irregularities in the auction. The opposition alleges that the minister's son's company was also among the three companies that bid for the tender. This order of CM Fadnavis is being considered a big setback for Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.

Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab raised the issue loudly. After this there was an uproar in the Vidhan Bhavan. Amidst sharp attacks and increasing pressure from the opposition, CM Fadnavis announced an inquiry. This is being considered a big setback for the Shiv Sena Shinde faction.

VITS Hotel in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar belonged to Dhanda Corporation, a company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The properties of Dhanda Corporation, including VITS Hotel, were seized under the Maharashtra Protection of Depositors' Interests (in Financial Establishments) Act, 1999. After this, on the orders of the court, the process of auctioning the hotel was started, which was conducted by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Collectorate. According to the December 2018 report of the government evaluator, the value of the hotel was Rs 75.92 crore. However, during the auction in 2025, this valuation was fixed on the basis of 2018 only.

3 companies participated in the auction process

Ambadas Danve alleged that three companies participated in the auction process, one of which was M/s Siddhant Material Procurement and Suppliers Company, which is allegedly owned by Sanjay Shirsat's son Siddhant Shirsat. Danve claimed that the registration form of this company states that the company had applied for registration in 2024, but it is not yet registered. Despite this, the company bid Rs 47 crore. While the other two companies bid Rs 46.95 crore and Rs 46.90 crore with a difference of only Rs 5 lakh.

The price of the hotel is Rs 150 crore

Danve claimed that according to private evaluators, the current price of the hotel is Rs 150 crore. He alleged lack of transparency in the auction process. He said three companies participated in the process, including M/s Siddhant Material Procurement and Suppliers Company. He said that this company belongs to Siddhant, son of Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat.