Maha: Fadnavis quits; to continue as caretaker CM

Devendra Fadnavis on Friday resigned as Maharashtra chief minister, five years and a week after he assumed the state's top job, blaming the ally Shiv Sena for rebuffing all attempts to form alliance government after the polls.

The developments, coming a fortnight after the assembly poll results on October 24 gave the BJP-Sena a comfortable majority, put a question mark on survival of their around three-decade-old alliance.

Both the bickering partners, however, did not state categorically that there was no scope for rapprochement in coming days. Late in the evening, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said the alliance was not over, and the Sena should respect the mandate.

The Sena, which wants its chief minister in the state, countered Fadnavis's claim that there had been no agreement on sharing the chief minister's post. He would fulfill the promise made to his father, late Bal Thackeray, to install a Shiv Sena chief minister in the state, Uddhav Thackeray said.

Fadnavis, 49, drove to Raj Bhavan and handed over his resignation to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who asked him to be the "caretaker CM" till alternative arrangements are made.

"The alternative arrangement could be anything, a new government or imposition of President's rule," Fadnavis told reporters after meeting the governor.

"The governor has accepted my resignation. I thank the people of Maharashtra for giving me the chance to serve them for the last five years," Fadnavis said.

He blamed ally Shiv Sena for the impasse. Refuting Sena's claim, Fadnavis asserted that no decision was taken "in his presence" that the two will share the chief minister's post.

"I again want to make it clear that it was never decided that the CM's post will be shared. There was never a decision on this issue. Even (BJP chief) Amit Shah ji and (senior BJP leader) Nitin Gadkari ji said this was never decided," he said.

Fadnavis said he called Uddhav Thackeray for breaking the impasse many times, but "Uddhav ji did not take my calls."