Headache for Modi: Pro-Nitin Gadkari BJP MLA ready to resign over Maharshtra CM row

Mumbai, Oct 22: Nitin Gadkari has been going through a rough a phase following BJP's extraordinary performance in the recently held assembly elections in Maharashtra. While he has been rejecting offer of becoming the Chief Minister of the state, his supporters and loyalists are continuing to create pressure on him to be the CM.

It might have become a headache for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his associates at the central leadership such as Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley as they too have been experiencing unnecessary pressure from Gadkari loyalists.

Now, Nagpur-East MLA Krishna Khopde on Wednesday, Oct 22 offered to quit and vacate his seat to pave way for his mentor Gadkari, after voices grew louder on bringing back the Union Minister to the state to don the mantle.

Khopde, a second term MLA, stated that he was willing to resign for Gadkari from his constituency. When contacted over the turn of events, the frontrunner for the post -- Devendra Fadanvis, however, remained tight-lipped and made no comments.

Gadkari earlier on Tuesday said that he is ready to accept any responsibility given to him by the party's central leadership. However, he also claimed that he is happy at the centre and he is not willing to come back to state politics.

About 39 BJP MLAs all from Vidarbha region had met Gadkari at his residence in Nagpur on Tuesday and demanded that he be made the state's Chief Minister.

"I have already clarified my stand not to return to state politics. Its 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.

The newly-elected MLAs, who were flown to Mumbai by a chartered flight to attend the Legislative Party Meeting which was eventually postponed to another date, had returned in the evening and drove straight to Gadkari's residence.

In the Oct 15 state Assembly elections, Khopde who is also president of Nagpur city unit of BJP, had defeated advocate Abhijit Wanjari of the Congress by over 40,000 votes.

In 2009, Khopde had turned to be giant killer defeating then Congress stalwart and then Textile Minister Satish Chaturvedi by over 38,000 votes.

OneIndia News