Don't link RSS chief to Maha govt formation: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should not be linked to the government formation moves in Maharashtra. He also said a decision will soon be taken on government formation in the state, and since the BJP won more number of seats than the Sena, the chief minister will be from his party. Speaking to reporters here, the Lok Sabha member from Nagpur also ruled out his return to his home state to assume the top job.

"Devendra Fadnavis will head the new government," Gadkari said.

To another query, he said, "RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat or the Sangh have no relation with all this. It won't be appropriate to link the RSS chief to the goings on (over government formation)." Amid the impasse over government formation, farm activist Kishore Tiwari, who joined the Shiv Sena ahead of the Assembly polls, recently said Bhagwat should depute Gadkari to resolve the power-tussle between the BJP and the Sena.

He said people were worried over the Sangh's "silence" on the issue. Gadkari said the BJP and Shiv Sena have got people's mandate to form the new government and very soon a decision will be taken.

"The BJP has won 105 seats, obviously the chief minister will be of the BJP. The party that has won more seats in Assembly polls will have the chief minister's post," he said.

However, Gadkari said he was hopeful that the deadlock between the BJP and Shiv Sena will get resolved.
 

"Maharashtra will have the BJP-Sena government under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis. The mandate is for 'yuti' (grand alliance), so there will be some solution to the deadlock," he said.

"Fadnavis has been appointed leader of the BJP's legislature wing. The government should be formed under his leadership," Gadkari said.

He also said that talks with the Sena were on and there will be a solution "for sure", he said. He also ruled out his return to the state to take up the top post.

"There is no question of me coming to Maharashtra. I am working in Delhi," he said.

The BJP and Shiv Sena are locked in a tussle over the issue of the chief minister's post, resulting in a stalemate in government formation despite results of the October 24 Assembly polls giving the alliance a combined seat strength of 161, way past the 145 majority mark in the 288-member House. In the polls, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena-56, NCP-54 and the Congress won 44 seats.