Ajit Pawar resigns as Deputy CM of Maharashtra

Just a day before the floor test ordered by the Supreme Court, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday resigned from his post.

Earlier in the day, a three-judge bench headed by Justice Ramana passed the order on a joint petition filed by the three parties challenging Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's decision of administering an oath to Fadnavis as Chief Minister and NCP's Ajit Pawar as his deputy during early hours of Saturday.

The Fadnavis government was formed at a time when deliberations among the three parties on government formation had reached the final stage. The urgent plea filed by the trio sought a direction to conduct an immediate floor test.

The floor test is a constitutional mechanism under which a chief minister can be asked to prove majority in the state Assembly.