In a key political development from Maharashtra, senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal was sworn in as the cabinet minister in the Mahayuti government on Tuesday, May 20. The oath ceremony took place at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. He was sworn in by Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, were present at the event. After taking the oath, Bhujbal spoke to the media. Chhagan Bhujbal began his political journey with the Shiv Sena in the 1960s, during a time when the movement for the rights of Marathi speakers was at its peak. Currently the MLA from Yeola in Nashik district, Bhujbal has held several key portfolios over the years, including serving as the 5th Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1999 to 2003.

Taking a stand against the party leadership and holding hands with his own trusted leaders, Ajit Pawar decided to join hands with the BJP in the future and was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister in the Shinde-Fadnavis cabinet on July 2. Twelve days after nine MLAs of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) including Ajit Pawar were sworn in as ministers, the Maharashtra cabinet expansion has taken place and the issue of cabinet portfolio redistribution has finally been settled. The leaders of Ajit Pawar`s group have got all the powerful portfolios. Ajit Pawar has been given the finance and planning portfolio despite the opposition of ministers and MLAs from the Shinde group, while Dhananjay Munde has been given the agriculture portfolio. Let us take a look at the list of newly sworn in NCP Leaders and their portfolios.