BJP MP Anant Hegde's sensational claim, says Fadnavis was made CM despite lacking majority just to save central funds worth Rs 40,000 crore

BJP MP Anant Kumar Hegde says Devendra Fadnavis was made Maharashtra's chief minister despite lacking majority support to prevent central funds worth Rs 40,000 crore from being misused.

Hegde, the MP for Uttara Kannada (Karnataka), said on Saturday that these funds would have been misused by an opposition coalition led by the Shiv Sena.

The coalition, which included the Congress and the NCP, had been working to form a government at the time when Fadnavis was unexpectedly sworn in with support from a rebel NCP leader, Ajit Pawar.

Anant Kumar Hegde said it took Fadnavis just 15 hours to move the money. All of it was returned to the central government, he said. The BJP had staged a "drama" to save the funds, he said.

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Both Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar stepped down last week before a floor test ordered by the Supreme Court could determine if their government had majority support.

The Shiv Sena's alliance's leader, Uddhav Thackeray, was sworn in as chief minister on Thursday.