What ‘clean chit’ for Chhagan Bhujbal says about power, probes, and politics in Maharashtra
Jailed in 2016 and projected as proof of BJP’s zero tolerance to corruption resolve, the NCP leader is now a minister in the same alliance, with courts finding no case to proceed.
Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal’s decision to break ranks with his mentor Sharad Pawar and side with nephew Ajit Pawar after the NCP split — aligning with the BJP-led Mahayuti — in 2023 appears to have brought him political rehabilitation, administrative power and long-sought legal relief.
Once an accused who spent two years in jail, Bhujbal currently is a minister in a BJP-led government and has been acquitted in the very money-laundering case that had once made him a symbol of the Narendra Modi government’s anti-corruption pitch.
On Friday, a special court in Mumbai exonerated him in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case registered in 2016. Bhujbal had been arrested that year and remained incarcerated till 2018, when he was granted bail.
The acquittal — described by his supporters as a “clean chit” — does not amount to a declaration of innocence after trial but means the court found no sufficient grounds to proceed against him. Earlier, in September 2021, Bhujbal had also been acquitted by a special anti-corruption bureau court in the Maharashtra Sadan scam, giving him relief in the predicate offence that formed the basis of the ED probe.
Bhujbal’s arrest in 2016 was the first high-profile detention of a senior Opposition leader after the Modi government came to power in 2014. At the time, the BJP projected it as evidence of zero tolerance towards corruption, publicly suggesting that other senior Opposition leaders — including Ajit Pawar in the irrigation scam and Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh housing case — would follow. The arrests never came, but Bhujbal’s incarceration served as a warning shot, contributing to what Opposition leaders later described as a climate of fear.
A decade later, the political irony is complete: Bhujbal, Pawar and Chavan are all aligned with the BJP.
Known as a sharp, street-smart politician, Bhujbal’s tenure as Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council during the 1995-99 Shiv Sena-BJP government is still regarded as one of the most effective in the state’s history. His arrest and prolonged imprisonment blunted that combative edge. After securing bail, he largely kept a low profile, and his parallel effort to position himself as a national OBC leader through the Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad — with rallies across Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh — also lost momentum.
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He returned to ministerial office during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray. However, after the fall of that government and the subsequent splits in the Shiv Sena and the NCP, Bhujbal, then out of power, chose to join Ajit Pawar’s faction and re-entered the Cabinet under the BJP-led alliance.
During the Maratha reservation agitation led by activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, Bhujbal saw an opportunity to revive his OBC political base by articulating a counter-position — something the BJP, wary of the agitation’s intensity, did not openly do. The strategy paid electoral dividends as the Mahayuti swept the Assembly elections. Though the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, traditionally seen as pro-Maratha, initially kept him out of the Cabinet, Bhujbal was later inducted after OBC leader Dhananjay Munde resigned in the aftermath of the Massajog sarpanch murder.
Today, Bhujbal avoids naming BJP leaders who once accused him and welcomed his arrest. On the BJP side, neither Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis nor other senior leaders refer to the old allegations. For Bhujbal — former Mumbai mayor, once a firebrand Opposition figure — the acquittal in the ED case offers closure, even as he wields power alongside those who once vilified him.
Alok Deshpande is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized for his focused and authoritative reporting on governance, politics, and the socio-economic dynamics of Maharashtra's hinterlands. His unique academic background in Geology and early work in the water sector provides a specialized layer of Expertise to his reporting on resource and environmental issues.
Expertise
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express, Mumbai.
Core Authority: Alok provides detailed coverage of Maharashtra politics and governance, with a particular emphasis on how policies and power struggles affect the rural and semi-urban areas (the 'hinterlands').
Key Coverage Areas: His reports frequently focus on high-stakes administrative and political topics, including:
State Assembly Proceedings: In-depth reporting on the Legislative Assembly, covering ministerial statements, legislative debates, and inter-party conflict within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
Policy & Finance: Coverage of state finances, including supplementary budget demands, fiscal deficits, and major government schemes (e.g., Jal Jeevan Mission, Ladki Bahin Yojana).
Rural and Social Issues: Reports on critical health issues (e.g., child deaths in districts), human-animal conflict (leopard attacks, stray dogs), and agrarian concerns (e.g., farmer suicides).
Local and Urban Governance: Covers major announcements regarding urban development (e.g., BMC's OC amnesty scheme, pagdi system push) and local body elections, including political defections and alliance splits.
Unique Credentials & Trustworthiness
Academic Specialization: Holds a Post-graduate degree in Geology. This background gives him a foundational understanding of natural resources, which directly informs his reporting on environment, water, and infrastructure projects.
Early Professional Experience: His shift to journalism came after working with an NGO focused on the water sector. This practical experience strengthens his Expertise in critical areas like water management and rural development, as evidenced by his reporting on the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Journalism Training: An alumnus of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, confirming his formal training and commitment to rigorous journalistic standards.
Alok Deshpande's rare combination of scientific education, non-profit sector experience, and deep political reporting makes him a highly trusted and authoritative voice on the governance and ground realities of Maharashtra.
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