Shiv Sena (UBT) nixes Chhagan Bhujbal's plans to rejoin its fold

Sanjay Raut denied reports of Bhujbal's return and said that there was no discussion between the NCP leader and the Shiv Sena

Mumbai: While speculations are rife that state minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal may switch amid reports of rumblings within the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said that Bhujbal was not welcome in the party.

Thane, India - May ,07, 2024: ShivSena UBT leader Sanjay Raut criticized CM Eknath Shinde and PM narendra Modi in his speech at Thane Manorama Nagar on Tuesday to campaign for Shiv Sena UBT Lok Sabha candidate Rajan Vichare ,in Thane, in Mumbai, India, on, Tuesday, May,07, 2024. ( Praful Gangurde / HT Photo )

Raut said Bhujbal was in Shiv Sena at one point in time and a lot of time has passed since he quit the party. Even Sena has gone very far in its journey. “Everything has been going well in our party and we don’t want to create trouble by inducting someone who left the party long back,” Raut said.

Once a firebrand leader of the undivided Shiv Sena, Bhujbal quit the party nearly three decades ago to join the Congress. He then moved to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) when Sharad Pawar quit the Congress. In July, 2023, he was among eight NCP leaders who took oath as ministers along with deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, marking a split in the Sharad Pawar-founded party.

It is said that Bhujbal, a prominent OBC leader, is upset after he was denied a Lok Sabha ticket from Nashik and then a Rajya Sabha seat, which was filled by Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, Sunetra Pawar was defeated by her sister-in-law and Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule.

There were reports that disgruntled Bhujbal may leave Dy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP and join Shiv Sena (UBT). Bhujbal however denied the reports and said that he was not going to join any party and he has not met any leader from any party including Sena-UBT.

Raut on Wednesday categorically denied the reports and said that there was no discussion between Bhujbal and the party leader and that all the reports regarding him were just rumours. He added that had Bhujbal not defected from Shiv Sena (in 1991) he would have been the chief minister till now.