Battle for ‘Maha CM’: After Fadnavis, Gadkari meets RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

Mumbai, Oct 25: As the suspense over the next Maha Chief Minister continues, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at his residence in Nagpur.

The meeting comes a day after BJP Maharashtra Chief who is the frontrunner for the coveted post, Devendera Fadnavis met Bhagwat on Friday. Some reports suggest that the RSS has also endorsed Fadanavis candidature for Chief Minister's post.

Gadkari's meeting with Bhagwat comes a day after BJP's front-runner for the post of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met the latter.

Even though, Gadkari himself has ruled himself out of the CM race, 40 BJP MLAs are backing his candidature for the post.

Gadkari had earlier said that he is happy in Delhi and holding important responsibilities. "I am not in the CM race, I do not want to be the CM. I feel sad when people say this as I have always maintained that I am not willing to go to State," Gadkari was quoted as saying in media reports a few days back.

Report said that after meeting Bhagwat on Friday, Fadnavis met with Gadkari at his residence.

As per an Indian Express report, 39 of the 44 BJP MLAs from Vidarbha met Gadkari in Nagpur on Tuesday and asked him to take over as the State Chief Minister. Interestingly, all these 44 MLAs had earlier supported party's State president Devendra Fadnavis for the post.

The report described the whole incident as politically planned and way to show strength. Some BJP sources have been quoted in the report as saying, "Gadkari has sensed that the central leadership is keen on picking Fadvavis as the CM. So he is trying to reassert his political might in the State."

OneIndia News