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Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal will take oath as Minister today. He himself informed about it on Monday night. Bhujbal said that he will be included in the Maharashtra cabinet headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday.
BJP sources leading the ruling Mahayuti alliance have also confirmed this. Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan will administer Chhagan Bhujbal oath at Raj Bhavan at 10 am today. 77 -year -old Bhujbal will replace NCP veteran Dhananjay Munde in the Maharashtra cabinet.
Dhananjay Munde resigned from the post of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister citing health reasons in March. However, Munde resigned from the cabinet at a time when his close aide Valmik Karad has been made the main accused in the Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case.
Bhujbal, an MLA from Yeola in Nashik district of Maharashtra, has a several decades long political career. He is a major face of the OBC community in the state. Bhujbal has previously worked as Deputy Chief Minister and Cabinet Minister in different governments.
In December last year, Chief Minister Fadnavis did not get a ministerial position during the cabinet expansion, due to which he was angry. He claimed at a press conference in Nagpur on 17 December that Chief Minister Fadnavis was in favor of joining him in the cabinet, but NCP president Ajit Pawar did not take any decision on it.
Bhujbal said that I had accepted the suggestion to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Nashik. When I wanted to go to the Rajya Sabha, I contested the assembly elections. Now 8 days ago I was offered the Rajya Sabha seat, which I refused.
They did not listen to me then, now they are giving me Rajya Sabha seat. If I resign, what will the people of my constituency think? Am I a toy of your hands? Whenever you tell me, I will stand up, whenever you tell me, I will sit and contest the election?
Bhujbal had said- Maratha opposed reservation, so did not make a minister Bhujbal had claimed that he was excluded from the cabinet for opposing Manoj Jarage, who demanded reservation of Maratha community in jobs and education. Bhujbal said that he has not spoken to NCP chief Ajit Pawar since the cabinet expansion.
Bhujbal said, ‘Everyone in democracy has the right to express their views. I am trying to find out who rejected me for the post of minister. Minister posts keep coming and going. But I cannot be finished. ‘
‘The party chief takes decisions in every party. Like Devendra Fadnavis for BJP and Eknath Shinde for Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar decides for NCP. CM Fadnavis had emphasized that I should be included in the cabinet. I have confirmed this myself. ‘
Maharashtra government’s cabinet expansion took place on 15 December
Cabinet expansion and oath took place after 33 years in Nagpur, the sub-state of the state.
The cabinet expanded in Nagpur on 15 December on the 23rd day of the assembly election result in Maharashtra. The Fadnavis government was sworn in by 33 cabinet and 6 state ministers. This number, including CM and 2 deputy CM, increased to 42. A total of 43 ministers can take oath in the cabinet. One seat is kept vacant.
Fadnavis government has been included in 19 BJP, 11 Shiv Sena and 9 NCP quota. 12 ministers of Shinde Sarkar did not get a place in it. Of these, 4 are BJP, 3 Shiv Sena, 5 of NCP. 19 became new ministers. Of these, 9 are from BJP, 8 Shiv Sena and 4 NCPs. Read full news here …