BJP's 'Operation Fadnavis-Pawar' to win House floor test

A meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's legislators on Sunday resolved to win the upcoming floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly with a thumping majority, a top party leader said.

Former minister Ashish Shelar said that the party and legislators discussed the upcoming challenge to ensure victory for the newly-appointed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

He reiterated how the Shiv Sena insulted the public mandate given to the BJP-led erstwhile 'Maha-Yuti', and has now changed track.

"We have resolved to ensure a thumping majority on the floor test and ensure that the Fadnavis-Pawar government goes to its full term for the welfare of the people of Maharashtra," Shelar said.

The meeting was attended by Fadnavis, BJP state President Chandrakant Patil, former Chief Minister Narayan Rane, ex-ministers, party leaders and others.

To a question whether the BJP had launched an 'Operation Kamal' to break the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress legislators, he shot back saying in Maharashtra there's only "Operation Fadnavis-Pawar" for their full five-year term of the government.

The meeting also passed a resolution congratulating both Fadnavis and Pawar for taking over their responsibilities early on Saturday morning.

Barring a few, a majority of the BJP's 105 legislators were present and those who were absent had cited valid reasons to the party leadership, he clarified.

This was the first formal meeting of the BJP after the Fadnavis-Pawar duo was sworn-in early on Saturday, triggering off a major political crisis.

( With inputs from IANS )