Pune (Maharashtra) [India], December 17 : Members of the OBC community staged a protest against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Deputy Ajit Pawar outside the District Collector's Office in Pune, expressing discontent over the exclusion of senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal from the newly formed Mahayuti cabinet.
Chhagan Bhujbal, former Maharashtra minister, was left out of the Cabinet expansion.
On Monday, Chhagan Bhujbal said that it would not make a difference if he wasn't made a minister in the Maharashtra cabinet because he is never finished, implying that he still remains relevant.
"I feel I have been rewarded (for challenging Manoj Jarange Patil). If my supporters are gathering in Nashik, what can I do about it? I am an ordinary worker, what difference does it make if I am ignored or thrown out? I may or may not have been given ministerial posts but Chhagan Bhujbal is never finished," Bhujbal, former Minister of Maharashtra, told reporters.
Reacting to several senior leaders not being named in the Maharashtra cabinet, the senior leader said that nothing can be said about the decision taken by party leaders. Bhujbal said party leaders informed him that senior leaders were not included to give a chance to new people.
"The decision is in the hands of the party leaders. Nothing can be said about it...Who is to be included in the cabinet is the decision of the party leaders. They (party leaders) told us that senior leaders were not included to give a chance to new people," Bhujbal said.
Reacting to the reports of a few Mahayuti leaders being unhappy over not being inducted into the newly formed Maharashtra Government, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said, "Let them run the government, they will find out. Whatever was said about me earlier is now being exposed. People can see what is being said about them (the Maharashtra Government). Chhagan Bhujbal is not in touch with me regarding this matter, but he is always in touch with me," Uddhav added.
The cabinet expansion came more than two weeks after CM Fadnavis and his deputies were sworn in on December 5. The Mahayuti alliance had faced criticism from the opposition for delaying the announcement of its cabinet despite having a significant majority.
In the Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance achieved a landslide victory, securing 235 seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 132 seats, while Shiv Sena and NCP won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.