‘I play kabaddi, not chess’: Chhagan Bhujbal hits out at NCP after Rajya Sabha snub, raises dynasty question

4 min readMumbai, PuneJun 8, 2026 04:49 PM IST

NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal (File photo).

In a clear display of discontent over being bypassed for a Rajya Sabha nomination, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal Monday hit out at his party and said that he deserves to be treated fairly.

“I am a kabaddi player, not a chess player,” said Bhujbal, suggesting that he believes in straightforward and transparent politics.

He said that just as the family members of other top leaders routinely receive influential posts, he had merely demanded similar fair treatment for his own family.

“I have been one of the founding members of the party along with Pawar saheb (Sharad Pawar). I had demanded that just like how family members, sons, and daughters of others get ministerial posts or Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, or Legislative Council seats, I should also be treated in a similar manner,” Bhujbal said.

He made the remarks shortly after former MLC Rajendra Jain filed his nomination as the NCP candidate for the sole vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra. The seat had become vacant following the resignation of the newly appointed Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar.

Even though Bhujbal was physically present to support Jain during the filing of the nomination papers, he did not hold back from openly airing his grievances regarding the party’s final decision.

Bhujbal had actively staked a claim to the seat, proposing a political swap in which he would move to the upper House of Parliament in Delhi, provided his nephew, Sameer Bhujba, was accommodated in his place as a minister in the Maharashtra state Cabinet. However, the party leadership rejected this precondition.

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Bhujbal’s sharp remarks appeared aimed at NCP state president Sunil Tatkare and the top brass. Tatkare is currently a Lok Sabha MP from Raigad, while his daughter Aditi Tatkare serves as the Maharashtra Women and Child Welfare Minister. Further consolidating the family’s presence, Tatkare’s son Aniket Tatkare was recently elected unopposed to the Legislative Council.

The senior leader’s statements also came in the backdrop of other dynastic arrangements within the ruling alliance. Zeeshan Siddique, son of the late former Congress MLA Baba Siddique, was recently inducted into the Legislative Council by the NCP.

BJP not responsible for snub, says Bhujbal

He dismissed rumours that the BJP was responsible for the decision to overlook him for the Rajya Sabha seat. I don’t think the BJP was behind the denial of my Rajya Sabha nomination. The proposal was discussed with the BJP. However, there was insufficient time before the Rajya Sabha poll schedule,” he said.

Bhujbal argued that the same principle should apply to him as it did to other political families. “Just as it has been done for others, I also want to be a Rajya Sabha MP and a Lok Sabha MP. Opportunities have come my way in the past, but nothing has materialised.”

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Bhujbal also said that a Cabinet expansion will happen with a decision to be made when the time is appropriate.

He also said that all senior leaders of the Mahayuti alliance and the NCP gathered at Praful Patel’s bungalow to demonstrate unity and are collectively supporting the party’s Rajya Sabha candidate.

Jain’s nomination marks the second time the NCP has surprised everyone by selecting lesser-known leaders. Last month, the party nominated Vikram Kakade for the Legislative Council elections. Both Kakade and his father Sanjay Kakade were previously members of the BJP and had joined the NCP just hours before the announcement.

Following Kakade’s nomination, several longtime NCP loyalists publicly expressed their dissatisfaction.