Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has described the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government as a “illegitimate child,” claiming that the people gave the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance a significant mandate in the 2019 assembly elections, but Uddhav Thackeray “cheated them” by allying with the NCP and Congress to become chief minister.
In an interview with ANI Editor Smita Prakash on June 29, before the NCP split, Fadnavis stated that Uddhav Thackeray established the government with those who did not receive a mandate.
“The MVA administration was an illegitimate child.” It was not born from electoral results because the Shiv Sena and the BJP fought together in 2019 and declared that the elections were being fought under Devendra Fadnavis’ leadership. “It was said by PM Modiji, Home Minister Saab (Amit Shah), Naddaji, and even Uddhav Thackerayji,” Fadnavis remarked.
The Deputy Chief Minister, referring to the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election results as a landslide mandate for the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition, stated that the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA administration was illegal because it was created with parties that had failed to obtain the people’s mandate.
“At that time, the people of Maharashtra gave that government a 170-seat mandate. Out of the 288, we won around 170, adding our (other) alliance seats, it was 175. It was a landslide mandate that the people gave us.
“But the Uddhav Thackeray government was formed with those who didn’t get the mandate, those who failed in getting the mandate of the people… so it was an illegitimate government,” he added.