Governor was misled, Fadnavis must quit as CM: Ashok Chavan

Congress leader Ashok Chavan on Saturday alleged that as most of the NCP MLAs, who were said to be backing the BJP in Maharashtra, attended a meeting convened by the NCP later, it was clear that Devendra Fadnavis had "misled" the governor.

Fadnavis should, therefore, quit as chief minister, Chavan said.

In a stunning sequence of events in the morning, Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister and Ajit Pawar, who broke away from the NCP, as his deputy by governor B K Koshyari.

However, as the day progressed, many of the NCP MLAs who attended the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan gave statements that they continued to be with the NCP and affirmed faith in the leadership of party supremo Sharad Pawar.

"Forty-eight MLAs belonging to NCP, whose signatures were shown as support for the BJP, were present at the NCP meeting (later) in the evening," Chavan said.

"Ajit Pawar misled Fadnavis and Fadnavis misled the governor," he alleged.

"When Fadnavis resigned earlier as chief minister (after the BJP said it was not in the position to form government), he had said his party would not poach MLAs. Now he must resign as they don't have the numbers," Chavan, a former CM, said.

"Ajit Pawar should also quit, own up his mistake and return to the NCP," the Congress leader said.

The NCP has alleged that signatures of its MLAs were misused to show them as support for the BJP.

Prithviraj Chavan, another senior Congress leader, said that Ajit Pawar's defiance of his party was the NCP's internal matter.

"The Congress' alliance is with the NCP and not the Congress," he said.