Forming government with Ajit Pawar was a mistake, says Devendra Fadnavis

Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said he committed a mistake by forming a short-lived government of three-days with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar in November 2019

Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said he committed a mistake by forming a short-lived government of three-days with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar in November 2019. He, however, said he does not regret it because he thought the move was right at the time.

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“It would have been better had we not attempted to form the government with Ajit Pawar. But at that point of time I thought it was the right decision,” Fadnavis said while speaking at an online programme organised by Marathi daily Loksatta on Friday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance won enough seats to win majority in the state in the 2019 Assembly elections. However, the two parties could not form the government due to their disagreement over sharing chief ministership. The Sena staked its claim on the top job in the government, but the BJP refused to accept its demand for chief ministership by rotation. Following this, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray started talking to NCP chief Sharad Pawar, which later led to formation of the Sena-NCP-Congress coalition in Maharashtra.

However, while the three parties were working out a power-sharing deal, Fadnavis shocked the three parties when he hurriedly took oath as CM along with NCP’s Ajit Pawar as deputy CM. While the BJP claimed that the NCP had joined hands with it, Sharad Pawar denied the same and said that his nephew had turned rebel with a few party MLAs.

The three parties closed ranks and in next two days, senior Pawar managed to get all rebel MLAs including Ajit back to the party. Fadnavis was left with no option but to tender resignation instead of making an attempt to prove majority on the floor of the Assembly. Later, Ajit was made deputy CM in the Thackeray-led government.

“When you are stabbed in the back (by Sena by not forming the government with the BJP), you have to stay alive in politics. And to stay alive, you have to do whatever is needed to be done. So it was an attempt to give a befitting reply,”Fadnavis remarked as he sought to justify the move. He also said his image was dented among BJP supporters because of the move.

Fadnavis was interacting in an online programme organised by Marathi daily Loksatta on Friday. CM Thackeray also participated in the interaction on the same platform on Saturday.

Thackeray said the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government comprising of the Sena, NCP and Congress will complete its term. “We had cordial relationship with BJP leaders from previous generations. The Sena never wanted to part ways with the BJP. We have now joined hands with the Congress and NCP and will continue to work together in the interest of the people. We are working together honestly and there would not be problem in completing the term,” he said.