New Delhi:
“I will be Maharashtra Chief Minister for next five years,” Devendra Fadnavis announced during an informal meeting with journalists in Mumbai on Tuesday. Making a bold statement amid ongoing logjam with ally Shiv Sena, Fadnavis flayed Uddhav Thackeray-led party and said that there was never any ‘50:50’ formula between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. He refuted any tension between the allies and said that there was no trouble and the BJP and Shiv Sena will form the government in Maharashtra. The statement comes a day after Fadnavis called on Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Interestingly, the Shiv Sena leaders also met the Governor, albeit separately.
“Our party president has confirmed nothing has been decided on CM post to Shiv Sena. No formula is decided yet,” Fadnavis added. He also said that BJP chief and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will not be visiting Mumbai tomorrow. There were speculations that during his visit, Shah will meet Thackeray to iron out the defences to accelerate the process of government formation. Talking about the poll math, Fadnavis said that the BJp won 105 seats in the Assembly Elections. After the results, the party has garnered support of 10 Independent MLAs. He added that five more lawmakers can extend support to the BJP. However, it won’t help the party to reach the magic mark of 145.
“BJP will be leading the stable and efficient government of Mahayuti (alliance) for 5 years,” Fadnavis said. He further said the BJP Legislature Party will elect its new leader on Wednesday. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already announced the name and the meeting will be a formality," he said, apparently referring to Modi's statement during campaigning for polls that Fadnavis will lead the coalition.
