Ashok Chavan, a Congress stalwart transitioning to the BJP, committed a gaffe when he mistakenly referred to Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar as the Congress’s city unit president during his joining speech at the saffron party’s state headquarters here on Tuesday.
The room filled with laughter before Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stepped in to rectify the error.
Chavan, in a moment of chagrin, acknowledged the mistake, attributing it to his long-standing allegiance to the Congress party.
Regaining his composure, he remarked, “It’s a slip of the tongue. This marks my inaugural day at the BJP headquarters, and I request you to excuse me,” eliciting a chorus of chuckles from the audience.
Chavan, who served as the chief minister of Maharashtra twice earlier, quit the Congress on Monday, in a jolt to the grand old party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The 65-year-old leader hails from Nanded district.