Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who stunned the NCP by engineering an alliance and a midnight coup with the BJP which saw Devendra Fadnavis return to power, has reportedly resigned just a day before the floor test ordered by the Supreme Court, local media reports said. Fadnavis is slated to address the media at 3.30pm when the announcement is likely to be made official. The development comes as a setback to the BJP, which was confident of winning the floor test tomorrow.

Meanwhile, The Shiv Sena today said it plans to move the Supreme Court against the closure of irrigation scam cases, saying the Devendra Fadnavis government could not take major policy decisions till the floor test was conducted. According to the joint plea by Sena, NCP and Congress, the parties have termed the decision to close cases against Ajit Pawar illegal. Seeking a stay on ACB’s move to close cases, the plea seeks that the court restrain Fadnavis from taking any such decision till the floor test is done.

Inputs from news18