Amidst the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, former State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda here on Tuesday to consult on the next step to bring back the BJP in power in the State with the help of the Shiv Sena rebels.
Fadnavis, who has met the top leadership at least three-times in the last seven days, was joined by BJP MP and senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani in the meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
BJP leaders are understood to have deliberated on the options available with the party after the Supreme Court provided interim relief to Sena rebels. They focused on the legal steps to be taken ahead of the party’s next possible political move to establish a BJP Government in the State backed by rebel Sena and independent MLAs.
After meeting Shah, Fadnavis drove to Nadda’s residence and briefed him about the unfolding political developments in the western State.
Notwithstanding BJP’s repeated denial of any role in the Sena rebellion, Fadnavis is widely seen as making moves to re-establish a BJP Government and known to be in constant touch with Sena rebel Eknath Shinde. Shinde may be made deputy-Chief Minister in the new BJP-led dispensation, sources said.
The first task now, the BJP leadership believes, is to bring down the MVA Government as it has clearly lost majority in the Assembly, they said.
In the next course of action the rebels may approach the State Governor, conveying the decision to withdraw their support from the Thackeray Government. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari then may ask the ruling alliance to undergo a floor test in the Assembly, said a senior BJP leader.
Though the BJP sources expressed confidence that the Uddhav Thackeray Government is on its last leg, the party is treading cautiously to avoid any wrong move like the one in 2019 which had caused it embarrassment when Fadnavis formed a short lived Government in alliance with the NCP faction headed by Ajit Pawar without ensuring adequate support of MLAs.
Fadnavis had to resign in three days as NCP supremo Sharad Pawar rallied his party MLAs to thwart his nephew’s bid to join hands with the BJP to form the Government. The Sena then joined hands with the NCP and the Congress to come to power.