Chhagan Bhujbal to quit NCP? Dropped from Cabinet, senior leader says will decide future after...

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Monday voiced his disappointment over being excluded from the new Mahayuti Cabinet. Speaking to reporters, Bhujbal hinted at exploring his future course of action after consulting people in his constituency. Bhujbal claimed he had been excluded from the Cabinet because he took on activist Manoj Jarange, who has been leading a movement demanding Maratha community reservations in jobs and education. 

"I am upset at not being included in the new cabinet. I am an ordinary political worker. It doesn't matter if I am sidelined or rewarded. Ministerial berths come and go, but I cannot be finished off," Bhujbal said.  

Thirty-nine legislators from the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, which are part of the Mahayuti alliance, were sworn in on Sunday during the first cabinet expansion under the Devendra Fadnavis-led government. The reshuffle saw 10 former ministers dropped and 16 new faces inducted into the cabinet. Notable leaders, including Bhujbal and fellow NCP veteran Dilip Walse Patil, as well as BJP leaders Sudhir Mungantiwar and Vijaykumar Gavit, were left out.  

When questioned about his next steps, Bhujbal, who represents the Yeola constituency in Nashik district, said, "Let me see. Let me think it over. I will talk to my constituency and discuss with the Samata Parishad."  

The cabinet expansion has sparked mixed reactions. Fadnavis emphasised the coalition's decision to introduce a "performance audit" for ministers, stating that the evaluation would help ensure accountability during their tenure. Bhujbal refrained from commenting on the performance audit.  

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader and former minister Deepak Kesarkar, who was also dropped, expressed no hard feelings over his exclusion. "When we authorised our party leader to make a decision, we have to abide by it and share the happiness of the newly sworn-in ministers. There are political compulsions as the party leader has to give representation to all regions and communities," Kesarkar said.  

Congress leader Bhai Jagtap, however, dismissed the concept of a performance audit. "If a minister doesn’t perform, why wait for two and a half years? The duration cannot be a parameter for the performance audit. In the next two and a half years, a people’s movement will come up against electronic voting machines," Jagtap claimed.  

(With inputs from PTI)