Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 8 (ANI): Leaders of the Vidhan Mandal group of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unanimously requested Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to continue with his ministerial duties and take back his decision to quit the government, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Saturday.
"Today all the members of Maharashtra Vidhan Mandal and all MLAs, leaders put forward a proposal. Devendra Fadnavis should work for the people of Maharashtra and should not leave the government. We all have urged him that he should take back his decision and we will once again work hard in the government and will also try to take our organization forward," Bawankule told a press conference after the meeting.
Bawankule said that Fadnavis should continue to stay in the government to fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat in the state.
"He (Fadnavis) should work for the people of Maharashtra, for the development of 14 crore people. PM Modi has aimed to create a Viksit Bharat. To fulfill the vision the Mahayuti in Maharashtra needs Devendra Fadnavis. All of us have asked him to take back his decision. I am sure he will consider our demands, change his mind, work hard in the government and also strengthen the party organization," the state BJP chief said.
All leaders of the party including Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, Maharashtra State President and other leaders were present in the Vidhi Mandal group meeting in Mumbai.
"PM Modi is going to be sworn in tomorrow. NDA has declared him to be its leader. There is a wave of happiness in the country. Our Vidhi Mandal has passed a proposal to congratulate him and tomorrow at 6 pm at every booth in Maharashtra our 35 lakh workers will celebrate Diwali. At every village in Maharashtra, we will be screening the swearing-in ceremony," Bawankule said.
Earlier this week after the declaration of Lok Sabha results, Fadnavis urged the top leadership to unencumber him of his ministerial duties so that he could focus on the party.
"Whatever loss we suffered in the LS polls in Maharashtra, I take full responsibility for it. Therefore, I urge the top leadership to relieve me of my ministerial duties for I need to work for the party and contribute my time to the preparations of the state assembly polls", Fadnavis said.
The BJP dipped to nine seats in Maharashtra against 23 in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The vote share stood at 26.18 per cent. The Congress, on the other hand, marginally improved its seat share by securing 13 seats in the state.
The Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won seven and one seats respectively, taking the total tally of the NDA to 17.
The BJP victory tally was much lower than its 2019 tally of 303 and the 282 seats it had won in 2014. The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong growth, winning 99 seats compared to 52 that it had won in 2019 and 44 seats in 2014. The INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition, and defying all predictions from exit polls. (ANI)
