India, Dec. 24 -- Upset about not getting a cabinet berth, senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday to communicate his discontent. The BJP, although it has clarified that Bhujbal will not be inducted into its ranks, wants him to shoulder a key responsibility in the state. Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar, on the other hand, has indicated that he is in no mood to placate Bhujbal immediately.

The 77-year-old politician, who has always held a cabinet berth whenever his party has been in power since 1999, recently expressed his angst and took an open stand against his party leadership. There were violent protests in his hometown, Nashik, as well. The showdown, however, did not work, as the NCP leader...