Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday suggested that as long as he is the party`s state unit chief, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should become the chief minister for the "overall development" of the state.

The statement comes months after Bawankule`s predecessor Chandrakant Patil, who is now a cabinet minister, had said that the party decided with a heavy heart that rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde should become the state`s chief minister instead of Fadnavis.