NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal sworn in as Maharashtra cabinet minister

Bhujbal (77), who has had a distinguished and eventful political career spanning several decades, had been notably absent during Chief Minister Fadnavis's cabinet expansion in December last year

Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal took oath as a minister in the Maharashtra government at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, were present at the oath-taking ceremony along with other prominent ministers in the Mahayuti government.

Fadnavis expanded his five-month-old cabinet with the induction of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal as a minister. This strategic move by the ruling Mahayuti alliance aims to strengthen its position among the OBC community and bolster the government's representation in the state.

The veteran politician was sworn in by Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan.

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Chhagan Bhujbal (77), who has had a distinguished and eventful political career spanning several decades, had been notably absent during Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's cabinet expansion in December last year.

At the time, his exclusion from the cabinet had drawn public disappointment from the seasoned leader, a prominent OBC face in the state.

His inclusion in the cabinet follows the resignation of Dhananjay Munde, a fellow NCP heavyweight who stepped down as the food, civil supplies and consumer protection minister in March.

Munde had resigned citing health grounds, but his departure from the cabinet came against the backdrop of his close aide Walmik Karad being named as a key accused in sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case.

In the past, Bhujbal, the MLA from Yeola in Nashik district, has served as a cabinet minister, including as deputy CM, in different governments.

The ruling Mahayuti coalition consists of the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the NCP led by deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister and State BJP Chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday welcomed the inclusion of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal in the state cabinet.

Speaking to reporters, Bawankule said, "Chhagan Bhujbal is known as an OBC leader and the inclusion of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal in the cabinet will strengthen the Maharashtra government."

He further expressed gratitude to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar for including Chhagan Bhujbal in the cabinet.

Bawankule added, "Chhagan Bhujbal will play a major role in fulfilling the resolve of 'Viksit Maharashtra'."

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