Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday has hinted that senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former state minister Chhagan Bhujbal may be sent to the 'national stage'. He said that NCP chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar wanted NCP to become a national party.
Bhujbal, one of the strongest OBC faces in Maharashtra, has been miffed at not being included in the new Mahayuti government.
"Bhujbal met me in Mumbai. He has already told you the reason for which the visit was scheduled. He is our leader. Ajit Pawar cares about Bhujbal saheb. Ajit dada wants his party to become a national party. Thus, it was discussed to send Bhujbal saheb to the national stage," Fadnavis told reporters.
Previously, Bhujbal met Fadnavis at the Sagar bungalow in Mumbai along with his nephew Sameer Bhujbal for around 30 minutes. Bhujbal said that the CM told him that the OBCs played a key role in the Mahayuti's landslide win the assembly elections.
"Fadnavis told me that the Other Backward Classes have played an important role in the landslide victory of the Mahayuti in the assembly elections and he will take care that the OBC community's interest is not harmed," Bhujbal said.
He added that Fadnavis has sought time to think over the issues facing the OBC community in the state. OBC leaders, including Bhujbal, are opposed to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange's demand for reservation for the Maratha community in the OBC (Kunbi) category.
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar said that it is an "internal matter" of the party, hinting at his upset over Bhujbal's meet with Fadnavis. "It is our internal party issue. We will resolve it within the party," the Deputy CM said.
Last week, Fadnavis undertook the Mahayuti cabinet reshuffle, which led to resentment among some former ministers from the BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP. Bhujbal was among the 10 ministers dropped from the new council of ministers, with 16 new faces.
The Mahayuti won a landslide majority with 230 of the 288 assembly seats in the assembly polls held in November this year.