All is not well in the Mahayuti camp, as prominent Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stalwart Chhagan Bhujbal is unhappy over his exclusion from the newly formed Maharashtra cabinet. Supporters of Bhujbal on Tuesday staged protests wearing black clothes outside the bungalow of Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar in his hometown Baramati in Pune district. The demonstrators believe that the exclusion of Bhujbal has amounted to an insult to Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
The Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra cabinet inducted 39 members on Sunday in Nagpur. While some new faces were included, 12 ex-ministers were left out of the government. Notable names that did not make the cut include Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP), Sudhir Mungantiwar, Ravindra Chavan (BJP), and Dilip Walse Patil (NCP).
The Mahayuti alliance’s change in course over these ministers’ future is attributed to a mix of factors such as controversies, underperformance, and strained relations with allies. Chhagan Bhujbal’s omission, in particular, appears to stem from these underlying issues.
Chhagan Bhujbal, a prominent OBC leader in Maharashtra, was expected to secure a ministerial position after the Mahayuti’s big win. However, his leadership style faced strong resistance, particularly in Nashik, where even members of his own party opposed his nomination.
Ahead of the Maharashtra state elections, former Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP Hemant Godse accused Chhagan Bhujbal of backstabbing during the Lok Sabha elections in Nashik. Godse claimed that Bhujbal opted out of the race at the last minute and left him stranded to face the battle alone; he even accused him of undermining his campaign that led to his loss to Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Rajabhau Prakash Waje.
Chhagan Bhujbal’s decision to support his nephew Sameer as a rebel candidate against Shiv Sena MLA Suhas Kande in Nandgaon further damaged his already tense relationship with the Sena.
The Bhujbal family sought revenge on Shiv Sena MLA Suhas Kande, who defeated Chhagan Bhujbal’s son Pankaj in the 2019 assembly elections. Chhagan’s nephew, Sameer Bhujbal, has entered the race against Kande after resigning from the NCP (SP) to contest as an Independent.
Campaigning under the slogan ‘Bhaymukta Nandgaon’ (terror-free Nandgaon), Sameer has accused Kande of intimidation and hooliganism.
Reflecting on why he was sidelined from Fadnavis’ cabinet, Chhagan Bhujbal said the decision could be linked to his stance on activist Manoj Jarange, who has been leading demands for Maratha reservation in jobs and education.
“I stood up for the Other Backward Classes community when the Maratha quota activist was demanding its inclusion in the OBC category. The Ladki Bahin scheme and OBCs helped the Mahayuti win the elections,” he had said.
In an interview with PTI, Bhujbal remarked, “They (NCP leaders) might have thought that after winning 41 MLAs, a fighter like me is not required in the cabinet. I am not talking to anyone or discussing anything. Whatever is going on is with (his nephew) Sameer Bhujbal.” He added that he single-handedly fought against Manoj Jarange’s demand for OBC status for Marathas for quota benefits.
Chhagan Bhujbal, a seven-time MLA and former Deputy Chief Minister, has been a prominent leader in Ajit Pawar’s NCP. He has served in the Maharashtra Cabinet since 1999, except during Devendra Fadnavis’ first term as CM (2014–2019), when he spent 26 months in jail on money laundering charges.
Bhujbal faced legal trouble during the Fadnavis-led BJP government in 2016, which then ruled the state with the Shiv Sena. However, after Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde split the NCP and Shiv Sena to ally with the BJP, Bhujbal was included in the Mahayuti Cabinet.
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