New Delhi: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who requested BJP leadership to relieve him from the responsibilities following the party’s poor performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election is said to be firm on his decision.
Sources revealed that Devendra Fadnavis met with senior BJP leader Amit Shah on June 6, firmly reiterating his decision to resign from his position as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister.
During the meeting at Shah’s residence, Fadnavis emphasized the necessity of his resignation and highlighted the need for organizational restructuring within the party, according to News18 sources. Despite these discussions, no final decision on his resignation has been made.
The Mahayuti alliance, representing the NDA in Maharashtra, faced significant setbacks, with the BJP securing only nine Lok Sabha seats, a stark contrast to the 22 seats won in the 2019 elections. Meanwhile, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena won seven seats, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP managed to secure just one seat. In 2019, the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition had achieved a dominant victory with 41 out of 48 seats in the state.
Fadnavis had tendered his resignation two days earlier, but Chief Minister Eknath Shinde attributed the electoral losses to collective responsibility within the alliance. Shinde assured that he would discuss the matter with Fadnavis soon, stating, “I will speak to Devendra ji soon.” Shinde acknowledged that Fadnavis aims to concentrate on revitalizing the party in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections later this year and affirmed that the reasons for the Mahayuti’s defeat would be thoroughly reviewed.
Expressing optimism, Shinde remarked, “We have worked together in the past and we will continue to do so in the future. Failures should not discourage us.” He also noted that the Sena leader had previously ousted Uddhav Thackeray from his position with the support of a majority of MLAs and MPs in 2022.