Fadnavis expanded his five-month-old cabinet with the induction of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal as a minister. This strategic move by the ruling Mahayuti alliance aims to strengthen its position among the OBC community and bolster the government`s representation in the state

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, was present during the oath-taking ceremony

Chhagan Bhujbal (77), who has had a distinguished and eventful political career spanning several decades, had been notably absent during Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis`s cabinet expansion in December last year

At the time, his exclusion from the cabinet had drawn public disappointment from the seasoned leader, a prominent OBC face in the state

His inclusion in the cabinet follows the resignation of Dhananjay Munde, a fellow NCP heavyweight who stepped down as the food, civil supplies and consumer protection minister in March

Munde had resigned citing health grounds, but his departure from the cabinet came against the backdrop of his close aide Walmik Karad being named as a key accused in sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case

In the past, Bhujbal, the MLA from Yeola in Nashik district, has served as a cabinet minister, including as deputy CM, in different governments

The ruling Mahayuti coalition consists of the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the NCP led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar