Devendra Fadnavis
Devendra Fadnavis’ political journey from councilor to the youngest mayor of Nagpur and then to becoming the first BJP chief minister in Maharashtra has been a steady one and with the party’s stellar performance in the assembly elections, it looks like he will take the position highest in the state for the third time. In a state dominated by Maratha politics and leaders, Fadnavis, a 54-year-old leader with a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) background, is the second Brahmin to become the state’s chief minister after Manohar Joshi of former BJP ally , Shiv Sena.
BJP’s lamp left Nagpur
Ahead of the 2014 assembly elections, the soft-spoken leader was the obvious first choice for the coveted post, largely due to the confidence that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leader Amit Shah had in he. Modi had said about him at an election rally: “Devendra is Nagpur’s gift to the country.” Although Modi had campaigned vigorously in the 2014 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections, part of the credit for the party’s unprecedented victory in the elections went to the then state. BJP president Fadnavis also went. Devendra Fadnavis is the son of late Gangadhar Fadnavis, leader of the Jan Sangh and later the BJP. Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari calls Gangadhar Fadnavis his “political guru”.
Know the entire journey of Fadnavis
Devendra Fadnavis entered politics at an early age, when he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Sangh, in 1989. At the age of 22 he became a councilor of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and in 1997, at the age of 27 , in its youngest mayor. Fadnavis contested his first assembly elections in 1999 and won. After this he did not look back and won three consecutive assembly elections. He represents Nagpur South West seat in the outgoing state assembly. Unlike many leaders in Maharashtra, Fadnavis has not been accused of corruption.
Fadnavis, one of the most vocal leaders in Maharashtra, is also credited with taking on the previous Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) government in the state over the alleged irrigation scam. Fadnavis suffered a setback after the 2019 assembly elections, when then Shiv Sena joint leader Uddhav Thackeray quit the pre-poll alliance for the chief minister’s post, leaving the Shiv Sena leader’s much-touted slogan short. BJP “Me Punha Yein (I will return).” of expectations.
He was sworn in as CM for the second time on November 23, 2019.
Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister for the second time on November 23, 2019, while Ajit Pawar was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister. However, on the order of the Supreme Court, Fadnavis resigned from the post of Chief Minister on November 26, even before the parliamentary test in the Assembly. Uddhav Thackeray later became Chief Minister with the support of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. However, Uddhav Thackeray had to resign as Chief Minister after Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde dissolved the party. Later, Eknath Shinde became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. After a large number of leaders left Shiv Sena and Thackeray resigned, many political observers thought that Fadnavis would become the chief minister. Political observers believed that Fadnavis was behind this entire episode. However, the BJP leaders had other plans and a reluctant Fadnavis was asked to take over as Deputy Chief Minister.
Fadnavis comes from a politically active family.
His tenure as Deputy Chief Minister in the last two and a half years has seen remarkable progress and Saturday’s result was something the party had been waiting for. Although Fadnavis comes from a politically active family (both his father and another relative served in the Maharashtra Legislative Council), Fadnavis has forged his own political identity.
Fadnavis’ tenure was not without challenges
Fadnavis’s first term as Chief Minister was a combination of good governance and effective policy measures. He won praise for speeding up infrastructure projects, particularly because he won support from urban voters. However, his tenure was not without challenges. The state suffered major crop losses due to erratic weather and its initial rejection of loan waivers for affected farmers was widely protested. Another major issue during Fadnavis’ tenure was the Maratha community’s demand for reservations in education and government jobs. Although they passed legislation to meet these demands, a subsequent Supreme Court decision struck down the law. This left many people from the Maratha community dissatisfied and they blamed Fadnavis for this failure.
- The 2019 assembly elections brought a dramatic change in Fadnavis’ political leadership. Following the Shiv Sena’s refusal to join the government without sharing the chief ministerial post, Fadnavis sought an alternative alliance with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar. However, this government was short-lived and fell after only 72 hours. After this, Fadnavis played the role of opposition leader in the state assembly.
- In June 2022, following a rebellion within the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, Fadnavis was ordered by BJP leaders to return to the government as deputy chief minister under Shinde. Although initially reluctant, Fadnavis accepted the role, demonstrating his loyalty to the party leadership.
- Even after the party’s poor performance in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he played a key role in shaping the seat-sharing deal between the BJP and Shinde’s faction. The results of Saturday’s state assembly elections, which overwhelmingly favor the BJP, will determine the next phase of Fadnavis’s political journey. In an ever-evolving political environment, Fadnavis’s ability to adapt and make important decisions could prove crucial for him and his party. (with language inputs)
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