Maharashtra Minister and OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal. File
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini
Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who has expressed displeasure over being excluded from Maharashtra’s newly-formed Mahayuti government, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Monday (December 23, 2024). Following the meeting, Mr. Bhujbal said he had a detailed discussion with the Chief Minister about the current political and social landscape in the State. NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar refused to comment on the meeting and said “It’s our party’s internal issue, and we will resolve it in our style.”
The former Minister, accompanied by his nephew Sameer Bhujbal, met Mr. Fadnavis at the Chief Minister’s official residence, ‘Sagar,’ for about 30 minutes.
“Mr. Fadnavis acknowledged the significant contribution of the Other Backward Classes [OBC] to the Mahayuti’s sweeping victory in the Assembly elections held on November 20. He assured me that the interests of the OBC community would be safeguarded,” Mr. Bhujbal said. The Chief Minister reportedly sought 10 to 12 days to deliberate on the concerns raised about OBC welfare before making a decision, he added.
Mr. Bhujbal, a vocal opponent of activist Manoj Jarange-Patil’s demand to include the Maratha community in the OBC (Kunbi) category, reiterated his stance on the issue. OBC leaders across the State have also expressed resistance to this demand.
When asked about rumours of him potentially joining the BJP, Mr. Bhujbal declined to elaborate, stating that he had already shared his views on being overlooked during the Cabinet expansion.
On Sunday, the NCP leader met with representatives of various OBC organisations from across Maharashtra in Mumbai. Despite his active engagement with the community, the NCP leader, who represents the Yevla constituency in Nashik district, skipped the recently concluded winter session of the State legislature in Nagpur. He left for Nashik on the session’s opening day, following the swearing-in of 39 Mahayuti MLAs as Ministers.
Earlier, Mr. Pawar said, “sometimes new people need to be given an opportunity” and cautioned against creating “misunderstandings,” though he refrained from directly naming Mr. Bhujbal. He also appeared to suggest a possible resolution for Mr. Bhujbal: “We have also considered providing opportunities to senior leaders at the Central level,” he said, hinting that the septuagenarian OBC leader might be offered a position in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet.
In Pune, Mr. Fadnavis said there were plans to send Mr. Bhujbal to the “national stage” since Mr. Pawar wanted the NCP to become a “national party”. “He is our leader. Mr. Pawar cares about Bhujbhal saheb. Ajit dada wants his party to become a national party. Thus, it was discussed to send Bhujbhal saheb to the national stage,” the Chief Minister said.
The Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Mr. Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP, secured a resounding victory in the last month’s Assembly elections, winning 230 of the 288 seats.
Published – December 23, 2024 07:59 pm IST
