NCP was ready to join Mahayuti alliance, reveals Devendra Fadnavis

After the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the power struggle in the state politics was in full swing. The state was forced to have the President's Rule. There was a political crisis in the state over the formation of a stable government. 

Last November the state saw a political upheaval when BJP's ally Shiv Sena supported the Congress-NCP. The BJP lost its oldest ally Shiv Sena who walked out of the Modi government at the Centre. The decision of the Maharashtra party to snap ties came following years of unease in the alliance and reached a flash point after the recent assembly election results, with the Sena accusing the BJP of breaking "promise" of equal division of power in the state.

In an interview to The Insider, Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said, "I am not a yogi, I am a human being. There is both happiness and sorrow." I had no idea that I would become the Chief Minister in 2014 but there were indications. But in 2019, everyone including me knew that I would become the Chief Minister, but then it did not happen, I was sad and I couldn't believe what had happen but with time I accepted the reality. I was ofcourse angry with Shiv Sena. 

Addressing a press conference here, the former chief minister said: "I said 2 years ago, NCP had wished to come with us there were discussions. But our top leaders said that we can't do this keeping Shiv Sena aside. They said we can take NCP with us but along with this we will have to take Shiv Sena also with us in this." Fadnavis also revealed  that Amit Shah who was then the BJP president personally came and delivered Modi's message to NCP chief Sharad Pawar. The NCP was fully prepared to come with the BJP.  

He added, I don't know what Shiv Sena has achieved by doing all this. I feel the Balasaheb Thackeray I knew would never have agreed to form a government with the Congress-NCP, said Devendra Fadnavis with confidence.