'Devendra Fadnavis was in the loop; became Deputy CM to honour PM Modi's directive': BJP

In a key political development, sources revealed on Saturday that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis was in the loop all along and was aware of the political developments in Maharashtra that eventually paved way for the collapse of the MVA government. According to news agency ANI, Sources further informed that Fadnavis accepted the position of Deputy Chief Minister in the state to honour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive. 

“Devendra Fadnavis was aware of every development that was happening in Maharashtra and without him and his sharp political acumen, this could not have really happened. Therefore, it is too far-fetched to say that Fadnavis was not kept in the loop,” a top functionary of the party told ANI.

As per ANI, Fadnavis decided to take up the deputy's position following calls by PM Modi on at least two occasions. Furthermore, a similar appeal was made to Fadnavis by BJP chief JP Nadda as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The sources further noted that Fadnavis was asked to reconsider his decision after he initially made the announcement that he will not be associated with the Eknath Shinde government after declaring the latter as the CM of the state.

'Devendra has been a loyal BJP cadre'

The BJP insider went on to say, “Fadnavis has been a top administrator and an upright leader therefore he would be a huge addition to the government and the moment the party realized that he had made a surprise announcement he was asked to reconsider his decision within a couple of hours.”

“Devendra Fadnavis has been a loyal party cadre, who has risen from the ranks and therefore he understands the discipline in the system,” a senior party functionary told ANI.

The source also lauded Fadnavis and stated that it was because of his leadership while in the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly that the party was able to win the third Rajya Sabha seat recently and also stage a massive coup against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena government in the state. Meanwhile, with other contours to be settled and ministries to be declared, Devendra Fadnavis has decided to skip the BJP national executive meeting in Hyderabad and focus on the State.

(With inputs from ANI)