Wrong of Shiv Sena to shun BJP and speak to Congress, NCP: Fadnavis

After tendering his resignation, Fadnavis says no decision was taken in his presence by the two parties over sharing the chief minister's post.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday tendered his resignation while blaming the ally Shiv Sena for the impasse over government formation after the Assembly elections. "The alternate arrangements could be anything, be it a new government or imposition of President’s rule," Fadnavis told the media after meeting the governor. "The governor has accepted my resignation. I thank the people of Maharashtra for giving me the chance to serve them for the last five years," Fadnavis said. Refuting the Shiv Sena’s claim, Fadnavis asserted that "in my presence", no decision had been taken by the two parties over sharing the chief minister’s post.

The Sena had claimed that before the Lok Sabha polls, the two allies had decided to share the CM’s post in the next term for two-and-half-years each. He called Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray for breaking the impasse many times, but "Uddhav-ji did not take my calls,"Fadnavis claimed. The Shiv Sena’s "policy" of not talking with the BJP but holding talks with the Opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was wrong, he said. Fadnavis drove to Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai and submitted his resignation to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

Devendra Fadnavis hands over his resignation as CM to Governor, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, in Mumbai, on Friday. Pic/ Suresh Karkera

"The day poll results came, Uddhav ji said all options open for government formation. That was shocking for us as people had given mandate for our alliance and in such circumstances it was a big question for us that why he said that all options are open for him," he said. There has been no headway in government formation even a fortnight after Assembly poll results were announced on October 24.

The BJP and Shiv Sena are locked in a tussle over the issue of the CM’s post, resulting in a stalemate despite the Assembly poll results giving the alliance a combined seat strength of 161, way past the 145 majority mark in the 288-member House. In the polls, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena-56, NCP-54 and the Congress won 44 seats.

161
Seat strength the BJP-Sena alliance has got

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