The halls of Maharashtra’s winter session in Nagpur were abuzz with dissent on Monday as senior leaders from the BJP, NCP, and Shiv Sena openly voiced their anger over being left out of the new state cabinet. The simmering discontent has exposed cracks within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, with accusations, emotional outbursts, and sharp rebukes flying thick and fast.
Leading the charge was veteran NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, whose absence from the cabinet has raised eyebrows. On the very first day of the winter session, Bhujbal dramatically left Nagpur for his hometown Nashik, signaling his disapproval. Before departing, he lashed out at his party leadership, accusing them of side-lining him after he stood firm against granting OBC status to Marathas – a move that had led to a heated public confrontation with activist Manoj Jarange-Patil.
“It seems my loyalty to the OBC community and my willingness to face attacks from all sides have been rewarded with this exclusion,” Bhujbal remarked bitterly at Vidhan Bhavan. The veteran leader revealed that he had declined an offer to move to the Rajya Sabha just days earlier, calling it an insult to the voters who had elected him.
The BJP camp wasn’t far behind in its dissatisfaction. Senior leader and former forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar made no effort to hide his disappointment, claiming that his name was initially included in the list of ministers but was mysteriously removed at the last moment. “I will continue to work for my constituency and raise their issues in the assembly,” Mungantiwar said stoically, though his disappointment was palpable.
Leaders exit
Even Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis appeared to acknowledge the brewing unrest, hinting that Mungantiwar might be assigned a different role. “He is a senior leader, and the party leadership may entrust him with another responsibility,” Fadnavis said, but the assurance did little to quell the storm.
The discontent wasn’t confined to the BJP and NCP. Shiv Sena MLA Narendra Bhondekar went so far as to resign from his party posts after being denied a cabinet berth. His colleague Vijay Shivtare, another strong contender for ministership, unleashed a scathing critique of the Mahayuti leadership.
“I will not accept the ministership even after two-and-a-half years. Maharashtra has become like Bihar, where caste equations take precedence over regional balance. I’m hurt not because I was denied the ministership, but because of the humiliating treatment I received from the top three leaders. We are not their slaves,” thundered Shivtare, Purandar MLA and former minister.
As the drama unfolded, political observers noted that the fallout from these exclusions could destabilize the alliance and set the stage for deeper internal conflicts.