Mumbai (Maharashtra): Taking responsibility for the BJP's poor show in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha polls, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday expressed his desire to be free from the state government so that he could work for the party.
Addressing a press conference after a Maharashtra BJP meeting, Fadnavis said,"There is no situation like the people have rejected the BJP or the NDA. But yes they have voted fractionally less. We took a review of the Lok Sabha Election 2024 (at a meeting here)."
"I have to admit that we have got less seats. In a way, I was leading the BJP in Maharashtra in these polls. So I take responsibility for the loss or for the less number of seats that we have got. It is my failure and I will take all the efforts to bridge the gap. I am requesting the party's top brass.. I want to fully dedicate myself for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls and so they should relieve me from the government and give an opportunity to work for the party...," elaborated Fadnavis.
Of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra - the second highest in the country, the BJP managed to win only nine seats while its ally Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde won 7 seats while Nationalist Congress Party led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ajit Pawar won only one seat.
"I will soon meet the party's top brass and according to their advice, I will take the next step," added the 53-year-old leader.
Fadnavis admitted that the BJP did not get the desired results in Maharashtra. "In Maharashtra, we did not get the desired result. We got far lesser seats than what we expected. Our battle was with three parties of the Maha Vikas Agadhi and the narrative to the change the Constitution. We could not stop the narrative, which is a fact," said Fadnavis.
Flanked by senior BJP leaders like Ashish Shelar, Ashok Chandrakant Bawankule and Chandrakant Patil, Fadnavis added, "The people have given a mandate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he will form the government for the thrid term and this is happening for the first time after 1962 and this is historic."
He also thanked the voters of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha for elected National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to power in their respective states.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is in New Delhi, refused to comment on the remarks made by Fadnavis, who hails from Nagpur.
