Is Chhagan Bhujbal Turning Saffron?

There is no dearth of one sensational turn after another in Maharashtra politics over the past three months. Ever since the state assembly election results came out in November, the polity has been in upheaval. The latest such development is firebrand leader Chhagan Bhujbal’s obeisance to RSS top leader Bhayyaji Joshi. Of and on attacking the Sangh Parivar, Bhujbal had nurtured his image as a secular follower of NCP founder Sharad Pawar. Many observers recalled how Bhujbal was the first to split the Shiv Sena in 1991 when Balasaheb Thackeray was at the height of his popularity. The issue was Thackeray’s refusal to accept the Mandal Commission report.  Again, it was Bhujbal who was among the top disciples of Pawar to join the newly-floated NCP in 1999. He rose to become Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister. The recent vertical split in the NCP found Bhujbal joining the faction led by Ajit Pawar and many of his closest workers were astounded. In a recent surprising turn, Bhujbal was not accommodated in the cabinet formed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. He had publicly lamented that Fadnavis wished to make him a minister but Ajit had stalled the move. Owing to such happenings, there is a whispering campaign to suggest that Bhujbal is on his way to join the BJP. He himself has never discounted this possibility. On top of this, Bhujbal’s unreserved praise of Bhayyaji at a Ram temple in Niphad in Nasik district a couple of days ago has once again heightened suspense about his next move.