Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has justified the swearing in ceremony of Devendra Fadnavis as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Ajit Pawar as his deputy. In a press conference, the BJP leader said, "Throughout the election campaign, Devendra Fadnavis' name was projected as the Maharashtra Chief Minister. The support base of BJP & the prospect of Devendra Fadnavis becoming CM played a crucial role in the success of Shiv Sena candidates."
Prasad also went on to target Shiv Sena by saying that the party had forgotten the principals of Balasaheb Thackeray.
"I don’t want to say anything about those who couldn’t stay true to Balasaheb’s ideals. Their opposition to Congress was well-known. Those who dump their entire legacy, are teaching us. Those who are willing to compromise for power, shouldn’t talk about Shivaji," Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
In relation to the alliance between Shiv Sena and the Congress-NCP, Prasad said, "it was a conspiracy to control Mumbai from the backdoor."
In a major twist in Maharashtra political landscape, Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the CM early morning at the Raj Bhawan by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. BJP who had secured 105 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly Election 2019, in a shocking turn of events got NCP leader Ajit Pawar on their side.
In a joint press conference where senior leaders of the NCP and the Shiv Sena were present, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had said that NCP had the numbers and only a handful of MLAs had defected to the BJP. He also reminded the MLAs of the anti-defection law.
The NCP senior leaders are expected to meet around 4:30 after which we could see some clarity from the party which currently looks like a house divided.
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