Govt formation with NCP in 2019 had Sharad Pawar's backing, says BJP's Fadnavis
The BJP bagged 105 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, held on October 24, 2019. The Shiv Sena, then in alliance with BJP, won 56 seats. Despite having enough seats to form a government, the two allies disputed power-sharing, with the chief minister's designation being the point of contention.
FollowThree years after forming the Maharashtra government in an overnight coup with Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday, February 13, that the exercise had the support of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
"We received an offer from the NCP that they needed a stable government and that we should form one together. We decided to proceed with the talks. The discussions happened with Sharad Pawar. Then everything changed. You've seen how things changed," said Fadnavis, referring to Ajit Pawar's resignation from the government 80 hours later.
During an event with the TV9 news channel, Fadnavis said, "In all fairness, I want to state that Ajit Pawar took the oath with me honestly... but later on, their (NCP's) strategy changed."
In response to Fadnavis' startling claims, Sharad Pawar said, "I felt that Devendra is a cultured person and a gentleman. I never thought he'd resort to falsehood and make such a statement."
The BJP bagged 105 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, which were held on October 24, 2019. The Shiv Sena, then in alliance with BJP, won 56 seats. Despite having enough seats to form a government, the two allies disputed over power-sharing. The chief minister's designation was the point of contention, prompting the Shiv Sena to begin talks with the ideologically opposed Congress and NCP.
On November 12, with no outcome, the Centre imposed President's Rule in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena, Congress, and NCP continued talks to form an alliance, and later Sharad Pawar announced that Uddhav Thackeray had been chosen unanimously to lead the new government. Thus, the early morning Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar's oath-taking ceremony on November 23 was a surprise.
In one of the biggest political surprises in Maharashtra, former Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari swore in Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar as his Deputy Chief Minister. The government lasted three days, after which Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in as chief minister of Maharashtra, forming an alliance with Congress and NCP.
(With inputs from PTI)
Also Read: 'Koshyari's exit big win for Maharashtra': Opposition hopes new governor will not be 'puppet of BJP'
Also Read: Ramesh Bais appointed as Maharashtra's new Governor; Bihar, Assam, other states get new Guv
Also Read: Maha: Ferry service between Belapur-Gateway begins; know timings, tickets
subscribe to Asianet Newsable WhatsApp channel by clicking here.
