Chhagan Bhujbal's comeback: Will the OBC leader join Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra cabinet today?

Maharashtra: Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal has said that he will be inducted into the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet in Maharashtra on 20 May, Tuesday. This will mark Bhujbal's return to ministerial office after a long gap.

"I have been informed that I will be inducted into the state cabinet. Oath ceremony will take place at 10 am on Tuesday," Bhujbal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI on Monday night.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which heads the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra, has confirmed the development, the agency said quoting sources. The veteran politician will be sworn in by Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan.

Specualtions about Bhujbal's next move

Bhujbal was among the 10 ministers who were dropped from the new council of ministers, with 16 new faces that was sworn in Maharashtra in December. Bhujbal, 77, whose political career spans over several decades, was absent during cabinet expansion. There were reports that Bhujbal may quit the NCP then.

CM Fadnavis and his two deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar took oath on December 5. The Cabinet was then expanded with the incuduction of 39 ministers on December 15.

Bhujbal, a former minister and a prominent OBC face in the state, has been openly expressed resentment since then. The former food and civil supplies minister had voiced his disappointment and skipped the winter session of the state legislature later.

Bhujbal's inlcusion in the cabinet

Bhujbal's inclusion in the cabinet follows the resignation of Dhananjay Munde, a fellow NCP heavyweight who stepped down as the food, civil supplies and consumer protection minister in March. Munde had resigned citing health grounds. But his departure from the cabinet came against the backdrop of his close aide Walmik Karad being named as a key accused in sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case.

Bhujbal, the MLA from Yeola in Nashik district, has served as a cabinet minister, including as deputy CM, in different governments. The decision regarding portfolio allocation to Bhujbal rests with the Chief Minister and will be announced after the swearing-in ceremony, the agency said.

The ruling Mahayuti coalition consists of the BJP, the Shiv Sena led by deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP led by deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

Known for disgruntlement

Bhujbal who belongs to the Mali community, is known for disgruntlement. In 2023, Bhujbal’s statements during the Maratha agitation for reservations, had not gone down well with Mahayuti government led by Eknath Shinde. Bhujbal—then a minister—openly targeted Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil.

He offered to quit from the cabinet on November 16, 2023.

Even ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bhujbal reportedly wanted to contest from Nashik. However, NCP chief Ajit Pawar left the seat for Shiv Sena’s Hemant Godse, leaving Bhujbal upset. He also hoped to be nominated to Rajya Sabha, but Ajit Pawar picked his wife Sunetra Pawar instead.

After its poor performance in the Lok Sabha election, there were rumours that Bhujbal was planning to defect to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).

(With PTI inputs)