Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde ‘Himself Asked’ Fadnavis To Join Govt As His Deputy: Chandrakant Patil
Patil said there was nothing unexpected about Fadnavis becoming the deputy chief minister in the new Maharashtra government.
New Delhi: Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Chandrakant Patil on Friday said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde himself asked Devendra Fadnavis to join the Cabinet as his deputy. Patil’s remarks come amid reports that Fadnavis, who served as the 18th chief minister of Maharashtra earlier from October 31, 2014, to November 12, 2019, was disappointed on being given the deputy chief minister’s post.
Patil said there was nothing unexpected about Fadnavis becoming the deputy chief minister in the new Maharashtra government.
“I am aware that many people were shocked by the events yesterday,” news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted Patil as saying while interacting with the media in Maharashtra capital Mumbai.
“But there was nothing unexpected in what happened with Devendra Fadnavis,” he added.
Patil further said the BJP decided to support Shinde for the CM’s post for “taking the Hindutva ideology ahead”.
ALSO READ: Maharashtra: After Taking Oath As CM, Eknath Shinde To Prove Majority On July 4
“But Shinde himself asked Fadnavis to join his cabinet. So Fadnavis asked our leaders in Delhi for permission,” he added.
The Maharashtra BJP president also lauded Fadnavis.
“You need a truly large heart to work under a person who was your junior earlier,” Patil said.
The government led by Shinde, who was a minister when Fadnavis headed the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the state from 2014 to 2019, will need to prove its majority in the Maharashtra Assembly on July 4.
This comes as Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has asked Shinde to prove his majority in the House. In tune with the same, the Cabinet has decided to convene a two-day special session of the state legislature on July 3 and 4, Asian News International (ANI) reported.
The nomination for the Speaker’s election will be filed on July 2 and the poll will be held a day later.
The Maharashtra BJP MLAs will meet this evening to discuss the Assembly Speaker’s election.
The candidate’s name is likely to be finalised in the meeting, the news agency reported sources as saying.
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