MUMBAI: Following the induction of senior NCP and OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal into the Mahahrastra Cabinet, the Mahayuti alliance is aiming to replicate its state assembly election success in the upcoming local body polls by consolidating the OBC vote bank across the state.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described Bhujbal as the “voice of the OBC at the national level,” adding that his inclusion in the cabinet would benefit the Mahayuti government.

77-year-old Bhujbal belongs to the Mali community, one of the key OBC voting blocs in the RSS-BJP’s social engineering strategy known as MaDaHaV – Mali, Dhangar and Vanjari.

According to sources, despite some reluctance from NCP’s top leadership, Fadnavis ensured Bhujbal’s induction into the cabinet.

Sources said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had previously sidelined Bhujbal, one of NCP’s seniormost leaders, by prioritising younger and newer faces during cabinet expansion.

“Since then, estranged Bhujbal started speaking a different tune and asserting his position. He began mobilising his Mali community through the Samata Parishad. Besides, he continued to express his ire, saying they would not tolerate the injustice to the OBCs in general and the Mali community in particular,” a source said, requesting anonymity.

“He (Bhujbal) also increased his closeness to Fadnavis and told him that his induction is important to get a good result in local body elections. That resulted in the induction of Bhujbal into the cabinet,” the souce added.

Political observers note that the OBC community remains the backbone of the BJP’s vote bank, and cannot be overlooked in Maharashtra’s Maratha-centric political landscape.

In the recent state assembly elections, Mahayuti coalition of the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena won a record 232 out of 288 seats, owing to the OBC consolidation and division of the Maratha vote bank.

“The Mahayuti wants to use the same formula for the upcoming local body elections and further strengthen its vote base. This is a very strategic move. We should also not be surprised if another OBC leader, Dhananjay Munde, is inducted soon,” a political observer said.

Notably, Munde, a member of the NCP, was forced to resign from the cabinet over alleged links to Walmik Karad, the mastermind behind the mureder of Massajog Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.

The observer noted that the Mahayuti does not want to alienate OBC voters and risk them shifting towards the Opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadi.

“That’s why Bhujbal was inducted, and Munde’s inclusion also took place despite opposition from social activists and the Opposition, who brand both leaders as corrupt. The BJP does not care about that,” he added.