Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is reportedly steadfast in his decision to resign, taking responsibility for the NDA’s poor performance in the state. However, Home Minister Amit Shah has intervened, asking Fadnavis to continue in the government.
Devendra Fadnavis, a former chief minister, currently serves in the Maharashtra government alongside the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In the 2019 elections, the undivided Shiv Sena and the BJP won 41 of the state’s 48 seats. However, the new coalition, known as the Mahayuti, secured only 17 seats in the latest elections.
In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar), won 30 constituencies.
Following the disappointing results, Devendra Fadnavis offered to resign on Wednesday, the day after the vote count. Several BJP leaders have since spoken to him, urging him to reconsider. After the NDA meeting on Friday, Fadnavis met with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to discuss the coalition’s performance and his potential resignation.
Also Read: ‘Relieve me of my duties…I take full responsibility’: Devendra Fadnavis on Lok Sabha outcome in Maharashtra
Subsequently, Devendra Fadnavis met with Amit Shah at the Home Minister’s residence. Shah reportedly asked Fadnavis to remain in his position and to develop a strategy for revitalizing the BJP in Maharashtra ahead of the assembly elections, likely to be held in October this year.
“If you resign, it will affect the morale of BJP workers. So don’t resign now,” Shah was quoted as saying. He also indicated that a detailed discussion about the resignation would take place after Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony for his third term as Prime Minister, scheduled for 6 pm on Sunday.
The INDIA alliance’s success in Maharashtra, the second-largest contributor of MPs to the Lok Sabha, significantly impacted the BJP, reducing its seat count from 303 in 2019 to 240. Despite this, the NDA secured 293 Lok Sabha seats, comfortably surpassing the majority mark of 272.
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