Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said he would request BJP top leadership to relieve him from the government duties so that he could focus on state assembly polls, a statement coming a day after the BJP suffered a drubbing in Lok Sabha polls in the state.
He also conceded that issues of coordination exist with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar of NCP. "I take full responsibility for the BJP's defeat in Maharashtra. I fell short in some places, and the setback in Maharashtra is my fault.

"To focus on the next assembly elections and fix the shortcomings, I request the top brass of my party to relieve me of my government duties. I will meet my seniors and communicate my expectations to them," Fadnavis said while addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Mumbai.

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Fadnavis said he would hold discussions with his seniors and will work as per their guidance. "There were some issues of coordination with chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, which we will meet and discuss soon," he said.

The BJP and allies got 17 seats in Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, with the BJP's tally dwindling by less than half compared to 2019, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) won 30 of the 48 seats. The BJP-led NDA fell significantly short of its target of bagging 45-plus seats in Maharashtra, garnering just 17 seats. The BJP won nine seats, a far cry from the 23 it won in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the state.

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