Mon Dec 23 14:29:42 UTC 2024: ## Maharashtra’s Bhujbal Seeks Assurance After OBC Exclusion from Government

**Mumbai, December 24, 2024** – Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and prominent OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal met with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday to express his displeasure at being excluded from the newly formed Mahayuti government. The meeting, which lasted approximately 30 minutes, focused on the political landscape and the welfare of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community.

While Mr. Bhujbal stated that Chief Minister Fadnavis acknowledged the OBC community’s significant contribution to the Mahayuti’s election victory and assured him of their interests being safeguarded, he also reported that a decision on his concerns regarding OBC welfare would be delayed for 10-12 days. Mr. Bhujbal reiterated his opposition to including the Maratha community in the OBC (Kunbi) category, a position echoed by other OBC leaders.

NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, while declining to comment directly on the meeting, suggested potential alternative roles for Mr. Bhujbal, including a position at the national level within Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet. Chief Minister Fadnavis echoed this sentiment, stating that there were discussions about moving Mr. Bhujbal to the “national stage” to align with the NCP’s ambitions to become a national party.

Mr. Bhujbal’s absence from the recent winter session of the State legislature fueled speculation, which he declined to address directly. His meeting with OBC representatives prior to his meeting with the Chief Minister further highlighted his continued engagement with the community. The Mahayuti alliance, a coalition of BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP, won a landslide victory in the November 2024 Assembly elections.

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