Fadnavis wouldn’t have quit had he got more time to prove majority: Ramdas Athawale

“If the Supreme Court had not given a deadline of 24 hours for the floor test, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar wouldn’t have resigned. It was difficult to prove majority in a short span of 24 hours,” the Union minister said.

Republican Party of India (RPI) chief Ramdas Athawale on Thursday said that Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar would not have resigned as chief minister and deputy chief minister had the BJP got more time for the floor test.

Ramdas Athawale minister of state for Social Justice and Empowerment addressing the media during press conference at UT Guest house Chandigarh in July 2019. (Photo: Karun Sharma/ Hindustan Times)

“If the Supreme Court had not given a deadline of 24 hours for the floor test, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar wouldn’t have resigned. It was difficult to prove majority in a short span of 24 hours,” the Union minister said.

RPI is part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

In fast-moving developments on Monday, Fadnavis and Pawar resigned from their posts after the Supreme Court ordered the floor test the next day. They were sworn-in as chief minister and deputy chief minister on Saturday morning.

Before submitting his resignation to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Fadnavis held a press conference to announce that he did not have the requisite number of MLAs to prove a majority in the 288-member Assembly.

Fadnavis and Pawar’s resignation paved the way for the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance to stake claim to form the next government with Uddhav Thackeray at the helm.

Thackeray, 59, is scheduled to take oath as the chief minister at Shivaji Park at 6:40 pm today.