At a low-profile ceremony on Tuesday, Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan took the oath of office and secrecy of seasoned NCP member and Samata Parishad founder, Chhagan Bhujbal, who joined Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's cabinet officially.
The swearing-in ceremony was graced by CM Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Cabinet ministers, senior bureaucrats, and party leaders like NCP working president Praful Patel and state unit head Sunil Tatkare.
After the ceremony, Bhujbal thanked him by stating, "I thank Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, both the Deputy Chief Ministers, as well as Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel.". I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah as well. I also thank all the people, activists and office-bearers of my Yeola-Lasalgaon constituency, all the office-bearers and activists of Samata Parishad. I also thank all those who have loved me so far.
Sources indicate that Bhujbal is set to return to head the food and civil supplies department — a role he had earlier served during the periods of Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde between 2019 and 2024.
Bhujbal had previously expressed unhappiness when he was not included in the cabinet expansion that occurred on December 15. He was critical, citing the fact that even though he was a strong defender of the party's OBC agenda during the recent Assembly elections, he was not considered.
His disillusionment caused him to distance himself from a number of party activities. Yet, following personal efforts by party chief Ajit Pawar and working president Praful Patel, Bhujbal started reengaging with organizational activities. His anger had intensified after he was twice overlooked for nominations to the Rajya Sabha.
The move to add Bhujbal to the cabinet was unanimously taken by the NCP leadership — Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, and Sunil Tatkare — to add strength to the cabinet with a representative from OBC. This became all the more important after another prominent OBC leader Dhananjay Munde resigned in March due to the scandal surrounding the killing of Beed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Munde earlier had the food and civil supplies portfolio, which has been kept in temporary charge by Dy CM Ajit Pawar.
Bhujbal's return has been perceived as a strategic boost for the NCP before the local and civic elections, which the Supreme Court has directed to be undertaken within a period of four months. He is still a major player in demanding OBC reservations and was one of the vocal critics of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange. Bhujbal is also a key supporter of the caste-based census, which the central government recently approved.
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