Devendra Fadnavis Rescinds Resignation, Prepares for Assembly Polls

Devendra Fadnavis Rescinds Resignation, Prepares for Assembly Polls

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to remain in his position following a party meeting where State BJP legislators expressed their confidence in him. This decision comes days after he offered to resign over BJP’s poor performance in the Maharashtra Lok Sabha election.

Fadnavis announced his decision on Saturday, emphasizing that senior party leader Amit Shah also asked him to stay on. "I met Amit Shah who asked me to continue, and I will do that. We have a strategy and I have already started the work," Fadnavis stated.

Fadnavis clarified that his resignation offer was not driven by emotions or disappointment over the electoral results. "I do not retreat; I fight back. In times of adversity, we can rebound with strength," he said, attributing the sentiment to teachings from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

He attributed part of the electoral loss to a "fake narrative" that he claimed acted as an additional opposition force against the BJP-led Mahayuti. According to Fadnavis, false rumors about the BJP planning to change the Constitution negatively impacted the ruling alliance, contributing to the superior performance of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

In the recent Lok Sabha election, the MVA secured 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra, while the ruling alliance won 17 seats, with an additional seat won by a rebel Congress candidate. Fadnavis acknowledged a perceived sympathy for Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray but noted that his party failed to win any seats in the Thane and Konkan areas.

Fadnavis also mentioned that in Mumbai, Thackeray’s success was due to the consolidation of votes from a specific community, rather than broad Marathi-speaking voter support. "They (Shiv Sena (UBT)) had a narrow lead in Marathi-dominated Assembly segments of Worli, Shivdi, Vikhroli, and Bhandup," he said.

Despite the losses, Fadnavis pointed out that the BJP’s vote share remained stable compared to 2019, with the party losing 11 constituencies by narrow margins.