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Former senior Congress leader Ravi Raja made the remark during a press conference in Mumbai after switching to the BJP
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with Ravi Raja at the press conference in Mumbai on Thursday.
Former veteran Congress leader Ravi Raja, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, referred to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as the next CM of the state, leading Fadnavis to respond with a light-hearted comment to ‘censor’ the remark.
Raja made the remark during a press conference in Mumbai after switching to the BJP. While expressing his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, and Devendra Fadnavis; he referred to Fadnavis as “to be Chief Minister and current Deputy Chief Minister.”
In the same presser, when a reporter later asked Raja if he aspired to be Chief Minister, he did not respond and simply smiled at the question.
Ends 44-year-long ties with Congress
Raja’s 44-year-long association with Congress ended on Thursday after he resigned, stating he felt he was not “respected” enough. He joined the BJP just weeks ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections.
In his resignation letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Raja wrote, “Since 1980 as a Youth Congress Member, I have served the party with utmost sincerity and dedication and today I am made to believe that my 44 years of service for the Congress party is not respected and hence I take this decision of resigning from my party post.”
Raja, who previously served as the opposition leader in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), was appointed as the BJP Mumbai unit vice president immediately after joining the party.
BJP’s Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar welcomed Raja, saying, “Raja is like an encyclopedia for issues in Mumbai. He is an old friend of ours. Raja and his supporters’ decision to join the BJP would strengthen the party’s prospects ahead of Maharashtra assembly polls.”
Maharashtra is set to hold elections for its 288 assembly seats in a single phase on November 20, with counting taking place on November 23.
