Fadnavis firm on offer to quit as Maharashtra deputy CM; RSS steps in

Devendra Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis is firm on his offer to quit as deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and conveyed the same to Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday, sources told News18.

On Thursday, Fadnavis had set political circles abuzz after he offered to step down from his post following BJP-led Mahayuti's poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections.

Fadnavis had announced that he wants to quit his post so that he can focus on working "full time" for the party ahead of assembly elections, which are due by later this year.

News18 reported that Fadnavis met Amit Shah at the home minister's residence to discuss the party's performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Fadnavis reportedly told Shah that he stands by his decision and there is a need to work at the organisation level.

However, no final decision has been taken so far.

Earlier, The Times of India had reported that top RSS functionaries rushed to Fadnavis' residence after his announcement and had closed-door talks with him for two hours.

Sources told TOI that Sangh advised Fadnavis not to resign and lead the government till assembly elections to avoid sending out a negative message to voters.

Earlier, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde had said he will speak with Fadnavis about his offer to resign. Shinde said electoral defeat was a collective responsibility as the three parties -- BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP -- had contested the Lok Sabha elections as an alliance.

BJP won nine Lok Sabha seats in the state compared to 22 in 2019. Its allies - the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP - won 7 and one seat respectively. In 2019, the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance had won 41 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra.