NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader
Devendra Fadnavis
on Wednesday offered to step down as Maharashtra deputy chief minister taking moral responsibility for the party’s poor showing in Lok Sabha elections in the state. The BJP, which had 23 members in the last Lok Sabha, could manage to in only 9 this time around. Fadnavis urged the party’s top leadership to free him from the state government so that he could work for the party.
“I take responsibility for results in Maharashtra.
I was leading the party. I am requesting the BJP high command to relieve me from the responsibility of the government so that I can work hard for the party in upcoming elections,” Fadnavis said.
The Maharashtra deputy chief minister claimed that the BJP-led
NDA
got more votes in Mumbai but there was consolidation of votes against the party which resulted in loss of seats. Fadnavis cited several other reasons that led to party’s poor show in the Lok Sabha elections.
Maharashtra is due for assembly elections in October 2024.
Fadnavis, who has served as chief minister of Maharashtra for 5 years, was reluctant to join the state government when Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister of NDA. However, he was ordered by the party’s high command to take oath as deputy chief minister under Shinde. Later, Ajit Pawar, who rebelled against Sharad Pawar and split the Nationalist Congress Party, also joined the NDA government as the deputy chief minister.
(With inputs from agencies)
