Pankaja Munde offers to quit after Beed results; not necessary, says Fadnavis

Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde on Thursday offered to quit the Devendra Fadnavis-led government in Maharashtra after BJP's poor performance in the local body polls in her constituency in Beed district.

Rejecting the resignation, Fadnavis said, “In election it happens that we lose sometimes or win sometimes.”

BJP state president Raosaheb Danve also sought to downplay the issue.

"I had a word with Pankaja Munde. Victory never went into our head and we never got depressed with defeat. We will decide about her stand (resignation)," Danve said.

"I personally do not find a valid reason behind her decision to put in papers. I feel people's issues will not be solved by her resignation," he said.

"She is a senior leader and part of our core team. She is upset with Zilla Parishad results and we will try to find amicable solutions to her worries," he said.

The BJP leader also dismissed reports of infighting in the party.

"There is no infighting in BJP. We are all working together. Her resignation has nothing to do with BJP and her disappointment with BJP. I have already said BJP would be the number one party (in the state)," he said.

The BJP is set to make decisive gains in civic polls in Maharashtra even as it is locked in a neck-and-neck fight with its bickering ally Shiv Sena in Mumbai, the latest counting trends suggest.