Opposition parties in Maharashtra have welcomed the exit of Vilasrao Deshmukh as Chief Minister.

They have alleged that he was a non-performer.

"Deshmukh was non-serious and he was also a non-performer. We are not sad to see him go because of the way he handled Mumbai terror attacks," BJP state unit president Nitin Gadkari said.

"Deshmukh's resignation won't do as the entire government had "failed" on all fronts and needed to be dismissed," said Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and senior Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam.

"We have already approached President Pratibha Patil demanding President's rule in the state," he said. Asked if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's views could have influenced the decision to remove Deshmukh, Gadkari said that in a monolith like Congress only opinions of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul count.