Prithviraj Chavan (file photo)
The BJP today sought the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and called for snap polls after the state's ruling Congress-NCP combine was routed in the national election.
In tune with the national trend, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance swept the state in a complete reversal from the last election.
The Congress and NCP were decimated, especially in Mumbai, and the losing candidates included union ministers Sushil Kumar Shinde and Praful Patel. Congress MPs Priya Dutt and Milind Deora lost their seats in Mumbai.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule won in Baramati.
The state's BJP leaders have demanded that the assembly elections, due by October this year, be advanced, as the ruling coalition has "lost the people's mandate."
The government's rout was blamed on massive anti-incumbency. The Congress-NCP combine, which has ruled the state since 1999, has been battling a slew of corruption charges.
Mr Chavan took over as chief minister in 2010, replacing Ashok Chavan, who was accused of a role in the Adarsh scandal, or the illegal allotment of flats in a Mumbai housing society meant for defence personnel.
During the campaign, the BJP and Shiv Sena had a public disagreement over Mr Gadkari's meeting with Raj Thackeray, the estranged cousin of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. The two parties, however, resolved their differences with Narendra Modi calling Mr Thackeray to reassure that the alliance was intact.