After offering to resign, Devendra Fadnavis says 'not running away'
Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, has withdrawn his earlier decision to resign from his post. This announcement follows an appeal from Home Minister Amit Shah urging him to continue serving the Maharashtra government. Fadnavis had initially offered to resign following the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha elections, in which the party secured just nine out of 28 contested seats.
Fadnavis takes responsibility for Lok Sabha defeat
"I led BJP...in Lok Sabha election so...I am responsible for this defeat. I had asked to be allowed to leave my post so that I could work at the grassroots for the Vidhan Sabha elections. But the top leadership showed faith in me," he said. "Some people thought that I was disappointed, but I'm not going to run away...I have a strategy in mind," Fadnavis told reporters after meeting Shah at a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting on Friday.
We are planning our future strategy: Fadnavis
At the NDA meeting, Narendra Modi was chosen as the leader of the alliance, opening the door for his third term as prime minister. He will take oath as prime minister on Sunday. "I can see happiness on everyone's faces, PM Narendra Modi name is ringing out across the world. We could not get as many seats as we wanted in Maharashtra this time, but we are planning our future strategy, beginning with this meeting," Fadnavis stated.
Fadnavis addresses Mahayuti's poor Lok Sabha performance
Fadnavis's BJP is part of the Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Together, the Mahayuti secured only 17 wins out of Maharashtra's 48 constituencies against Maha Vikas Aghadi's 30. The Shinde camp won seven seats, and the NCP (Ajit Pawar camp) won just one seat.
