Mumbai:
Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Devendra Fadnavis remains the frontrunner for the post of state Chief Minister, BJP sources said on Wednesday.
The reports emerge following the meeting of a group of around 40 lawmakers and union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday. The lawmakers have urged Gadkari to lead his home state.
Gadkari later said that the MLAs who met him “have a lot of respect for me and they are requesting me to be the Chief Minister.
“However, I have already clarified my stand not to return to state politics. It’s for the party’s central leadership to decide and I will accept any responsibility given to me,” said the former chief of BJP which has emerged as the single largest part in assembly elections with 123 MLAs, 22 short of majority in the 288-member Assembly.
In Mumbai, senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar pitched for Gadkari for the post of CM.
State BJP President Devendra Fadnavis has been considered frontrunner for the post of CM though names of Gadkari and other senior leaders like Eknath Khadse and Vinod Tawde were also doing the rounds.
(With PTI inputs)
