Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar had suggested President’s Rule in the state in 2019.

The then President Ram Nath Kovind, in 2019, approved the cabinet decision to impose President’s Rule in Maharashtra following the deadlock over government formation even after almost three weeks after the election results came out.

President’s Rule was put in place in Maharashtra on November 12, 2019.

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Speaking at the India Today Conclave in Mumbai, Fadnavis said that Pawar had approached the BJP and suggested a tie-up between his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the BJP in order to form a government.

According to Fadnavis, Pawar suggested that President’s Rule be briefly imposed in the state so that the NCP cadre could be informed about joining hands with the BJP. However, Fadnavis said, the NCP chief later backed out from the arrangement.

Fadnavis said all this while responding to a question about what really went on behind the scenes when he teamed up with Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar in an overnight coup to form a short-lived government in Maharashtra. Fadnavis and Ajit took oath as chief minister and deputy chief minister early morning in late November 2019. However, Ajit Pawar quit the government nearly 80 hours later.

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This led to speculations about whether Sharad Pawar knew of the arrangement.

Earlier, Fadnavis had claimed, “We had an offer from the NCP that they needed a stable government and we should form such a government together. We decided to go ahead and hold talks. The talks happened with Sharad Pawar. Then things changed. You have seen how things changed.”

Sharad Pawar refuted these claims and had said, “I felt that Devendra is a cultured person and a gentleman. I never felt that he would take recourse to falsehood and make such a statement.”

Also Read: Sharad Pawar admits NCP held talks with BJP on govt formation after 2019 polls

Three years down the line, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar are a part of the same government once again in the state. Both the leaders hold the officae of the Deputy Chief Minister as part of the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra that includes the BJP and factions of both the Shiv Sen and NCP.