After Reported Unhappiness, Devendra Fadnavis Says He Chose Eknath Shinde
NDTV
Devendra Fadnavis said, "It will not be wrong if it is said that I took this proposal (to the BJP leadership) that (Eknath) Shinde is made the chief minister and they (the leadership) accepted it".
Devendra Fadnavis, the two-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra who was widely expected to have a third turn at the post, today said it was his idea that Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde take the job instead. Mr Fadnavis, after announcing on Thursday morning that he would stay out of the government, took oath as Mr Shinde's Deputy in the evening.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur today, Mr Fadnavis said, "It will not be wrong if it is said that I took this proposal (to the BJP leadership) that Shinde is made the chief minister and they (the leadership) accepted it".
"Our leaders Narendra Modi ji, Amit Shah and JP Nadda ji, and with my approval (the decision to make Shinde the chief minister was taken)," he was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.
Ever since Mr Shinde started his rebellion, declaring that Sena should renew its alliance with the BJP and rule Maharashtra, and his numbers started growing, there was a buzz that Mr Fadnavis will return as the Chief Minster for a third time. Till the morning of June 30, when Mr Fadnavis made his surprise announcement, the media had been reporting about his comeback.
