With both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah clear that Fadnavis was their choice to head what will be the first single-party-led government in the state after two decades of coalition rule, the BJP put its formal stamp on his name on Tuesday.
Fadnavis was unanimously elected leader of the BJP legislature party. After his election, he along with senior BJP leaders drove to the Raj Bhavan and gave a formal letter to Governor C Vidyasagar Rao staking claim to form the government. The CM-designate will be sworn in at the Wankhede stadium on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
TOI has categorically said, from the day the assembly poll results were declared on October 19, that state BJP chief Fadnavis would be the next CM.
The BJP went ahead with his election even as confusion continued to prevail on the Shiv Sena's possible role in the BJP government, thus offering a fait accompli to Matoshree, said observers.
READ ALSO: Who is Devendra Fadnavis?
The BJP legislature party met in the central hall of Vidhan Bhavan at 4 pm on Tuesday. In a brief and brisk exercise, party leader Eknath Khadse proposed Fadnavis' name for the legislative party leader's post. BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar seconded the proposal, which was passed unanimously by party legislators. Union home minister Rajnath Singh, who was present as the central leadership's observer along with J P Nadda, formally announced Fadnavis' election at 4.25 pm.
Singh and Nadda supervised the process. They held discussions with the state BJP's core committee before the legislature party met. Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the party's in charge for Maharashtra, and Om Prakash Mathur, poll observer for the state, were busy through the day planning the meeting's nitty-gritty.
Talking to mediapersons, Fadnavis said he would strive to give a transparent and development-oriented government to Maharashtra. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah for reposing their faith in him. He also paid tribute to BJP leader Gopinath Munde who passed away in June.
Talking to TOI, Fadnavis said he felt the burden of responsibility which the new job entailed more than the feeling of joy. Stating that the new government would be smaller in size, he said some ministries may have to be amalgamated for better administrative coordination. Fadnavis also said there will be no deputy CM's post in the new government.
The BJP government will follow the teachings of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and adhere to the letter and spirit of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution, he added.
Fadnavis was accompanied to the Raj Bhavan by Rudy, Mathur, Khadse, Mungantiwar, Vinod Tawde and Pankaja Munde. RPI chief Ramdas Athavale was also present.
However, earlier in the day, Fadnavis' election was preceded by some worrying moments for the BJP when Khadse staked his claim to the chief ministership, thus bringing to the fore the feud in the party on a crucial day. Rudy met Khadse and persuaded the sulking BJP veteran to attend the legislature party conclave.
Justifying his claim to CMship, Khadse told Rudy that as leader of opposition in the assembly, he had taken on the Congress-NCP alliance for five years and brought about its downfall, almost single-handedly.
But talking to mediapersons, Khadse said he would abide by the decision taken by the party leadership. "I will not violate the party's diktat," he said and added that talks of his being unhappy over Fadnavis' election was the "creation" of the media.
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