"Sharad Pawar proposed President's rule in 2019": Devendra Fadnavis

In a surprising revelation, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis disclosed that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar had proposed the imposition of President's Rule in the state in 2019. Fadnavis made this statement while speaking at the India Today Conclave Mumbai 2023, shedding light on the tumultuous period following the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections.

After the elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party but faced difficulty in forming a government due to its estranged ally, the Shiv Sena, refusing to join forces. This impasse led to uncertainty about who would assume power in the state.

Fadnavis revealed that Sharad Pawar had approached the BJP during this period, suggesting a possible alliance between his NCP and the BJP to establish a government. Pawar's unconventional proposal included the temporary imposition of President's Rule in Maharashtra, enabling the NCP cadre to consider aligning with the BJP. However, Pawar later withdrew from this arrangement.

Fadnavis explained, "It was Sharad Pawar's idea to impose President's Rule in Maharashtra. He suggested briefly implementing President's Rule, following which he would advocate the necessity of a stable government in Maharashtra. Hence, we went ahead with the BJP, and once we had the required numbers, President's Rule would automatically be lifted."

The Deputy Chief Minister also detailed the process by which President's Rule was imposed, stating that every political party received a letter inquiring if they intended to form a government. "When the NCP got the letter, I was the one who wrote it. It was typed at my house, following which Sharad Pawar made some corrections to it. Once those corrections were executed and the letter saying that the NCP would also not like to form a government was submitted, then only President's rule was imposed," he said.

This revelation provides crucial insights into the political dynamics during that time, especially regarding Fadnavis' subsequent unexpected alliance with Sharad Pawar's nephew, Ajit Pawar. This alliance, which saw Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar taking oaths as chief minister and deputy chief minister, did not endure for long. However, presently, both are part of the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra, which includes factions of the BJP and both the Shiv Sena and NCP.