Uddhav quit as Maharashtra CM on his own, how can his govt be reinstated?: Fadnavis; says polls to be fought under Shinde

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray had resigned as Chief Minister of Maharashtra on his own in June last year without facing a floor test, so how can his government be reinstated by the Supreme Court, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday.

Devendra Fadnavis also maintained his party BJP will continue to work with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and fight the next elections under the latter's leadership. “If you read the Supreme Court proceedings carefully, you will realise that Uddhav Thackeray himself had resigned....he did not even face the floor test in the Assembly. By no stretch of imagination his government can be brought back in Maharashtra," he said while speaking at an event organised by Marathi news channel Mumbai Tak.

In mid-March, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a batch of cross-petitions of Uddhav Thackeray and Shinde factions of the Shiv Sena pertaining to the June 2022 political crisis in Maharashtra. Expanding his point, Fadnavis said, “I have been a lawyer. If he (Uddhav Thackeray) had resigned on his own, how will the Supreme Court set aside his resignation and reinstate him as Chief Minister? This is not possible.”

Rebellion by a group of Shiv Sena MLAs had led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which also included the NCP and the Congress. Following the revolt in his party, Thackeray had resigned as CM on June 29, 2022, and a day later Shinde succeeded him after joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Fadnavis stressed his party will continue to work with Shinde. “Let me give you one prediction very clearly -- Shinde will remain Maharashtra Chief Minister, and we will face the next elections under his leadership,” said the BJP leader. Assembly polls in Maharashtra are due in the second half of 2024.