After the BJP’s disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha elections, Devendra Fadnavis offered his resignation as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister. Taking responsibility for the electoral setback, Fadnavis requested the BJP leadership to relieve him of his responsibilities so that he can channel all efforts towards strengthening the party for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls slated for later this year.
“I take responsibility for such results in Maharashtra. I was leading the party. I am requesting the BJP high command to relieve me from the responsibility of the government so that I can work hard for the party in the upcoming elections,” he said while addressing the media in Mumbai today.
Reacting to his deputy’s request, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that all MahaYuti partners are responsible for the alliance’s poor performance and he will reach out to Fadnavis over the issue.
“All of us are responsible for this defeat. I will speak to Fadnavis,” he said.
The Maharashtra unit of the party convened a meeting earlier in the day to discuss the BJP’s lackluster performance. The meeting was attended by Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the state unit chief, along with other senior leaders.
The BJP-led NDA in Maharashtra aimed to win 45 of the state’s 48 seats, but secured only 17. While the BJP managed to clinch merely nine Lok Sabha seats, marking a significant decline from its 2019 tally of 23 seats, its ally and Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena faction winning seven and one went to the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar.
In contrast, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) surpassed expectations by securing 30 seats. The Congress, in particular, experienced a remarkable resurgence, securing 13 seats—an impressive leap from its single-seat victory in 2019 and two seats in 2014. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) secured nine seats, and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) garnered eight seats.
One seat went to Vishal P Patil, a Congress rebel who contested as an independent candidate in Sangli.
