Mumbai, May 21 -- Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal was on Tuesday sworn in as a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government, underscoring the 77-year-old's enduring relevance in the state's politics just months after being all but written off when he was excluded from the cabinet in December. "All is well that ends well," said Bhujbal at Mantralaya, after his swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan, which was attended by Fadnavis, his two deputies, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and other ministers. "I have been sworn in as a minister several times since 1991 and also handled several portfolios. I am ready to take any responsibility given to me by the chief minister and deputy chief ministers," he added. Bhujbal will fill the cabinet berth lying vacant following the resignation of his NCP colleague Dhananjay Munde in March following the arrest of his close aide, Walmik Karad, in connection with the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Bhujbal is also likely to get Munde's food and civil supplies portfolio, which the MLA from Yevla has held previously under governments led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde. The timing of the decision to induct Bhujbal, a prominent Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader, in the Maharashtra cabinet is significant considering it's happening just weeks after the central government decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming national census. It also comes days after the Supreme Court cleared the path for elections to 687 urban and rural local bodies in Maharashtra later this year. Bhujbal's exclusion from the state cabinet in December had raised eyebrows, considering he had supported Ajit Pawar's rebellion in the NCP in June 2023 that led to a split in the party founded by his political mentor, Sharad Pawar. After Ajit's NCP faction joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government, Bhujbal was made a minister. However, after the Mahayuti returned to power in 2024, Bhujbal wasn't included in the NCP's list of ministers as the party leadership was upset with him for several reasons, including being pressured to nominate his son Pankaj to the legislative council last October. While Bhujbal has publicly expressed his unhappiness over the snub on several occasions since then, the Mahayuti government's eventual U-turn was down to chief minister Fadnavis, according to people aware of the developments. "The chief minister had suggested the NCP leadership should consider Bhujbal's induction in the cabinet. He was of the view that it would help in the consolidation of the OBC votes, after which a decision was taken last Wednesday," said an NCP leader, who requested anonymity. Bhujbal's inclusion strengthens the Mahayuti government's appeal to the OBC community ahead of the local body elections, at a time when caste-related tensions in the state have been simmering following the Beed sarpanch murder and reservation quota demands. OBCs, estimated to be around 38% of the state's total population, will play a significant role in these elections, which are being touted as mini-assembly polls. "In my view, Bhujbal is a senior leader in the country," said Fadnavis. "He is being seen as a voice of the OBC community and, hence, the NCP decided to bring him back into the cabinet. We have also welcomed the decision."...