Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan resigns before assembly polls

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan offered resigned on Friday as political upheaval intensified ahead of assembly polls in the state.

Chavan tendered his resignation to the state governor after his party split with its coalition ally of 15 years' standing, a source in his office said. The state election will be held on October 15.

The ructions could play into the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is eyeing gains in Maharashtra for his nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following his resounding general election victory in May.

Chavan, a leader of the Congress party that is in national opposition, parted ways with his ally in a row over which seats in the state legislature they would contest. Modi's BJP, meanwhile, fell out with a right-wing regional ally on Thursday.

Modi hopes for state-level gains that would increase the representation of his national coalition in parliament's upper house, but would still leave him short of an outright majority to pass key economic reforms.

The governor has not yet responded to the resignation, the source in Chavan's office said. If accepted, a brief period of direct governor's rule would be likely until a new state government can be formed after the election.