Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday tendered his resignation, after the BJP and its ally, Shiv Sena, failed to reach a consensus in government formation in the state post the assembly elections.
“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. He drove to Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai and submitted his resignation to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Fadnavis blamed the Sena for the impasse over government formation after the assembly polls. 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 chief minister's post in the next term for two and a half years each. A video of Fadnavis purportedly saying all posts would be shared equally, is being used by the Shiv Sena to justify its demand for the post of chief minister for two and a half years.
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Fadnavis called Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray for breaking the impasse many times, but "Uddhav-ji did not take my calls", Fadnavis said. The Shiv Sena's "policy" of not talking with the BJP but holding talks with the opposition Congress and NCP was wrong, he said.
There has been no headway in government formation even a fortnight after the assembly poll results were announced on October 24. The BJP and Shiv Sena are locked in a tussle over the issue of the chief minister'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.
Fadnavis's decision looked inevitable after, earlier today, Union minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari said there was no deal between his party and the Shiv Sena over equal distribution of portfolios, including sharing the post of chief minister.
The Sena, too, refused to budge from its stand saying that the BJP should approach the Shiv Sena only if it agrees to share the chief minister's post with the junior saffron ally in Maharashtra.
Talking to reporters, senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut said the BJP should not misuse the provision of "caretaker" government and remain in power in Maharashtra, where there is an impasse over the next dispensation.
(With PTI inputs)
