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The 77-year-old OMC MLA from Nashik district, who was a cabinet member in the previous Mahayuti government, did not find a place in the new ministry
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray said he felt bad for Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) heavyweight Chhagan Bhujbal, who missed out on a Cabinet berth in the recently formed Mahayuti ministry being led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Bhujbal, on Tuesday, openly criticised party chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and other leaders, including Praful Patel, for “sidelining” senior members and taking decisions without consultation. Former ministers Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil of the NCP and Sudhir Mungantiwar and Vijaykumar Gavit of the BJP were among the prominent leaders who didn’t make it to the state cabinet expanded on Sunday.
Offering support to the sulking NCP leader, who has been skipping Mahayuti and party events and meetings, Uddhav said, “I feel bad for Bhujbal and for several other people. Some of them had even gotten new suits to wear during oath-taking.”
Protests In Pune, Outside Pawar’s Home
Supporters of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal in Pune staged protests on Tuesday over his exclusion from the Maharashtra cabinet alleging insult to OBCs. An agitation was also held outside the bungalow of Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar in Baramati.
“Despite being the senior-most leader in NCP, Bhujbal was denied a cabinet berth which is an insult to the OBC community. If you had decided to allot cabinet posts to the senior leaders, then why did the same parameter not apply to Bhujbal?” asked one of the protesters who participated in a demonstration outside the district collectorate in Pune.
NCP workers wore black clothes and slammed Ajit Pawar. A protester demanded Ajit Pawar make an announcement assigning the deputy chief minister’s post to Bhujbal after 2.5 years.
Another protester said only Bhujbal stood for OBCs when Maratha activist Manoj Jarange launched protests demanding the OBC quota for the Maratha community.
Will Bujbal Join Another Party?
His “Jahan nahi chaina, wahan nahi rehna” remark two days ago had kicked off a spate of speculations of his discontent over the denial of a ministerial berth in the new Mahayuti Cabinet. There have been rumours about Bujbal’s exit from NCP.
Bhujbal said that he would speak on Wednesday after holding discussions with NCP workers and people of his Yeola constituency.
Bhujbal’s Veiled Attack On Ajit Pawar
Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday launched a veiled attack on party chief Ajit Pawar over his exclusion from the new Maharashtra government and said that he felt “humiliated” by the treatment meted out to him.
Speaking to reporters in Nashik, his home district in north Maharashtra, Bhujbal said he met his supporters to explain his omission from the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet which was expanded on December 15 in Nagpur with the induction of 39 members.
The 77-year-old MLA from Yeola in Nashik district, who was a cabinet member in the previous Mahayuti government, did not find a place in the new ministry.
“People are still confused. I got elected by my people and I need to tell them the reasons behind my omission from the cabinet. I explained everything to them. They told me they will stand firmly behind me and requested me not to leave the assembly. I assured them that I will not abandon them,” Bhujbal said.
The prominent OBC leader criticised Ajit Pawar, who heads the NCP, for not holding any discussions with senior leaders on important issues.
“There has been no discussion with Ajit Pawar in the last seven days. I am nearly 700 km away from Nagpur (where the winter session of the state legislature is underway), so I do not know where he is and why he is not in Vidhan Bhavan. You can ask them,” he said.
The former minister accused Ajit Pawar, who joined the previous Mahayuti government in July 2023 after disassociating himself from his uncle Sharad Pawar, of favouring a select group of leaders and ignoring senior members like him.
Bhujbal, who was once close to Sharad Pawar, was among NCP MLAs who joined the first Mahayuti government.
