Shri Chhagan Bhujbal, Deputy Chief Minister, Maharashtra State
holding the Home and Tourism portfolio was born on 15th October 1947
at Nasik. He embarked on a professional career after completion of
Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from V.J.T.I., a premier institute
of Technology in Mumbai. Early in his life he took to serious farming
and agro-business.

A totally self-made individual, Shri Bhujbal has been a keen social
and political activist who rose from the grass root level to the
highest echelons of socio political structure of our State. Be it the
leadership against the power brokers holding the poor oppressed
workers to ransom or whether it was the Maharashrta-Karnataka
boundary dispute, he has always been at the forefront of political
activism.

In 1973 he was elected to the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. He was
Leader of opposition there between 1973 and 1984. In 1985 he became
the Mayor of Mumbai. He was re-elected as a Mayor in 1991. As Mayor
he initiated major programs on civic issues like better housing, slum
development etc. He also launched the unique city square and road
railing beautification scheme in Mumbai during his tenure he has
widely traveled abroad. In 1980 and 1986 he had visited U.S.A.,
France, U.K., Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and U.S.S.R.
as part of the mayoral delegation as well as other civic and social
commitments. He also participated in World Mayoral Conference at
Osaka in Japan in 1990. Shri Bhujbal has visited France, Germany and
England in October 2000. There after toured Newyork, Geniva, and
London to boost the toursim from 28th May to 18th June 2002. During
this tour he has visited the Scotland Yard Police Headquarter in
London and had discussion with senior Police Officials in respect of
containing cyber crime in Maharashtra State. He also visited many
tour operators and tour associations in England and have discussions
to boost the tourism in India, especially in the State of
Maharashtra.

He has been actively involved with social institutions like Nair
Hospital, Prince Agakhan Hospital, V.J.T.I. etc. He had worked as the
Trustee on these institutions. His commitment to the cause of
professional education led to the setting up of the Mumbai
Educational Trust (M.E.T.) at Bandra Reclamation, Mumbai of which he
is the Founder Chairman, where institutes of Pharmacy, Management,
Information Technology and Medicine have been set up. Today, over
1,000 students are actively pursuing their choiced professions at
this seat of learning assisted by a competent and committed faculty.

He was elected as the Member of the State Legislature in 1985 and
again in 1990. He became the Revenue Minister in November 1991. He
later on became the Minister of Housing and Slum Improvement - a job
then he performed with distinction till 1995. In April 1996, he was
elected to the Legislative Council and became the Leader of the
Opposition in the council. After the State Assembly polls in October
1999, he joined the State Cabinet as Deputy Chief Minister, incharge
of Home and Tourism portfolios. He is also the Guardian Minister of
Mumbai city and is the chief spokesperson for responsible urban
governance within the cabinet.

He has been greatly influenced by the social philosophy and work of
Mahatma Jotiba Phule, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Rajarshi Shahu
Maharaj. This convergence led him to set up, Mahatma Phule Samata
Parishad which espouses social equality as the very foundation stone
of our society. This platform has greatly contributed to the building
up of harmony and equanimity across all communities in our State.

He is one of the Founder Members of "The Nationalist Congress Party"
and was nominated its first President of Maharashtra. He continues to
lead the State Party machine with true grit, hard work and
dedication. Films and cricket are his favorite past times. He is an
admirer of performing arts and has produced two Marathi films
viz. 'Daiwat' (1985) and 'Navara-Bayko' (1990).