Devendra Fadnavis resigns as Maharashtra CM, slams Shiv Sena for sidestepping BJP

Mumbai: After a two-week tug-of-war between the Sena and BJP, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis resigned on Friday.

Fadnavis drove to Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai and submitted his resignation to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

The governor has asked Fadnavis to continue as acting CM until a new government is formed or an alternative arrangement is announced.

Reiterating that the BJP took full effort to communicate with the Sena, Fadnavis said, ''I phoned Uddhav Thackeray but he did not accept my calls.''

Fadnavis expressed his disappointment with the Sena saying that he was ''hurt'' with remarks made against leader PM Narendra Modi, HT reported.

"I can understand if the Opposition criticises us, but Shiv Sena being in the government saying things about us, is not acceptable," Fadnavis said.

He further said that no decision was taken in his presence on sharing CM post with Sena for 2.5 years.

He thanked the people of Maharashtra, PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the trust reposed in his 5-year term as CM.

He also thanked the opposition. "They did what any opposition would, that is question the government."

There has been no headway in government formation even a fortnight after Assembly poll results were announced on October 24.

The BJP and Shiv Sena are locked in a tussle over the issue of the chief minister's post, resulting in a stalemate in government formation despite the Assembly poll results giving the alliance a combined seat strength of 161, way past the 145 majority mark in the 288-member House.

In the polls, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena-56, NCP-54 and the Congress won 44 seats.