OBC strongman Chhagan Bhujbal likely to join Shiv Sena

Mumbai, Aug 21: A big jolt awaits Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), as its tallest leader and former Deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal is likely to join his former party Shiv Sena soon.

According to reports, Bhujbal has been asked to stay away from the meeting and rallies of the NCP.

Chhagan Bhujbal was absent during NCP's Shiv Swarajya Yatra in Nashik but at the same time, he was busy in his constituency.

In 1991, he quit Shiv Sena and joined Sharad Pawar's party. He was Minister of Public Works & Special Assistance Department, (Excluding Public Undertaking) Maharashtra State and Guardian Minister, Nashik District, Member of Legislative Assembly.

Bhujbal started his political career with the Shiv Sena party. He left the party in 1991 and joined the Indian NCP. Later, after the Indian National Congress leader Sharad Pawar decided to split from the Congress and form his party, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Bhujbal went along with him.

After reaching dizzying heights in a career spanning four decades across political parties from Shiv Sena to Congress and then NCP, the former Maharashtra deputy chief minister and NCP strongman Chhagan Bhujbal cropped up himself into many scams.

First the Telgi Fake stamp paper scam.

In Dec 2003, bhujbal resigned from the post of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, owning the moral responsibility of attack on Alpha Marathi office in Andheri, Mumbai.

In 2012, Mumbai Educational Trust (MET) filed a criminal complaint against Chhagan Bhujbal, alleging misuse and mismanagement of trust property for family-run furniture business and destruction of evidence in connection.

Though he made a comeback as Deputy CM after the erstwhile Deputy CM RR Patil resigned post 26/11 attacks. But, he was named in a money-laundering scam and was arrested, he was in jail for more than two years.

Recently, leaders like Sachin Ahir, close to Bhujbal, have quit the NCP and joined Shiv Sena. Bhujbal and his supporters nursed a grudge against NCP leadership for not standing behind him during his adversities.

Hence, as his prospects in the NCP looking bleak, the OBC strongman seems to be all set to return to his former party.