Maha cabinet expanded, Chhagan Bhujbal takes oath as minister

Mumbai:  In a simple ceremony, Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan on Tuesday administered the oath of office and secrecy to veteran NCP leader and Samata Parishad founder Chhagan Bhujbal as a minister in CM Devendra Fadnavis’s cabinet.

The swearing-in took place in the presence of Chief Minister Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, ministers, government officers and party leaders, including NCP working president Praful Patel and state chief Sunil Tatkare.

After the ceremony, Bhujbal said, “I thank Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, both the Deputy Chief Ministers, as well as Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel. I also thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Along with this, I also thank all the people, activists and office-bearers of my constituency of Yeola-Lasalgaon, all the office-bearers and activists of Samata Parishad. I also thank all those who have shown love and affection to me till now.”

Bhujbal is expected to get the food and civil supply department, which he held in the previous governments headed by Uddhav Thackeray and then Eknath Shinde (2019-24).

Bhujbal was sulking after he did not get the ministerial berth when CM Fadnavis expanded his cabinet on December 15. He had openly expressed his displeasure to the party leadership, citing that he had been dropped despite vigorously taking up the OBC cause of the party during the Assembly elections held last year.

He had subsequently abstained from several party engagements, but after the intervention of party president Ajit Pawar and working president Praful Patel, he started taking part in organisational functions. Further, he was furious after his nomination was not considered twice for the Rajya Sabha elections in the past.

NCP president Ajit Pawar, along with working president Praful Patel and state unit chief Sunil Tatkare, took a unanimous decision paving the way for Bhujbal’s induction in the cabinet. NCP needed a formidable and strong OBC face in the cabinet especially after another OBC leader Dhananjay Munde had to resign during the budget session of the state legislature held in March in connection with the brutal killing of the Beed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Munde was holding the food and civil supply department, and after his exit, it was looked after by Dy CM Ajit Pawar.

Bhujbal’s induction is politically important for the NCP, especially when the Supreme Court asked the state government to complete the process of local and civic body elections in four months. He has been at the forefront of the protection of OBC reservation in a major tussle against pro-Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange. Moreover, Bhujbal has been a strong advocate of the caste-based census, which the Centre has recently cleared.

–IANS