The installation of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister for the third time is set to change the politics of Maharashtra forever, with repercussions far beyond the state. Following an unprecedented victory in the Maharashtra assembly elections, the 54-year-old leader has signalled that he has finally arrived. Unlike many Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief ministers, Fadnavis is not faceless, and that is his strength. Like Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Fadnavis has shown that he is a leader in his own right.
Fadnavis is the fourth Chief Minister from the Vidarbha region, following M. S. Kannamwar, Vasantrao Naik, and Sudhakarrao Naik. As Home Minister, Fadnavis may not have used a bulldozer, but he took a tough stance on issues like the Bheema-Koregaon case and ‘urban naxals’. He insists that the slogans “Batenge to Katenge” and “Ek Hai to Safe Hai” were calls of the hour, and there was no need to be apologetic about them.
With this victory, Fadnavis has placed himself among the foremost leaders in the BJP, alongside a select few. His rise has been supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he emerged on the national stage. Fadnavis has always been grateful and loyal to his leader and shares his tact and patience.
Shiv Sena May Be The First Target
With Fadnavis firmly in control, observers believe that things will never be the same in one of India’s most industrial states. The first target on his list could be Uddhav Thackeray and his party, as Fadnavis might soon order the long-delayed elections to municipal corporations, including Greater Mumbai, to further weaken the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. The old political principle of “strike while the iron is hot” seems to be in play.
There may have been many claims and counterclaims, both formally and informally, but everyone who matters in the Mahayuti, especially in the BJP, was convinced that the chief ministerial crown belonged to Fadnavis. It was a moment of reckoning for the leader from Nagpur, who has consistently faced attacks from the opposition, regardless of the provocation.
One of Fadnavis’s strengths as a leader is his ability to combine a soft face with hardline tactics and strategy. This approach has not only crushed his political opponents but also silenced detractors within his own party who either underestimated him or believed he could easily be marginalised because he is a Brahmin. While the Brahmin community may not be a dominant political force, it has traditionally done well in bureaucracy and other fields.
Will BJP Dominate Maharashtra?
Fadnavis is leading the state at a time when the opposition is either divided or has become faceless. He and his party succeeded in ensuring that Uddhav-led Shiv Sena’s Hindutva claims remained diminished as it allied with parties like the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
These parties, along with Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), are in no position to challenge the BJP under Fadnavis, at least for now. Additionally, the Marathas, the dominant community in the state, have become ‘softer’ towards the BJP. The party has been accommodative and is no longer dominated by any single caste or group of castes, unlike the Congress, which used to be a party of Marathas, Dalits, and minorities.
The BJP is known for its “sahi disha, spasht niti” (correct direction, clear policy). Observers believe that it is inching closer towards becoming the most dominant political force in Maharashtra for years to come. The saffron sweep in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh in recent years has helped the party expand in Maharashtra.
The unexpected collapse of Congress in the traditional stronghold has made matters easier for the BJP, at least for now. Until Congress gets its house in order, regional parties, despite being weakened, remain the primary hurdle in the BJP’s expansion in Maharashtra.
Existential Threat To Many
Fadnavis’s re-emergence poses existential threats to Uddhav Thackeray, the NCP (Sharad Pawar), and the Congress. The BJP’s prime objective is to make Maharashtra “shat pratishat” (100%), meaning to expand and strengthen the party so that it no longer depends on allies and faces little resistance from its detractors.
The rise of Fadnavis comes at a time when Nitin Gadkari’s status within the party and the government appears to be declining. Gadkari, a former BJP President, played a pivotal role in bringing Fadnavis into politics. Fadnavis is a second-generation politician; his late father, Gangadhar, was an MLC during Sharad Pawar’s tenure in state politics.
Fadnavis’s rise has been meteoric. He began his political career in the mid-nineties. In 1992, at the age of 22, he became a corporator, and five years later, in 1997, he became the youngest Mayor of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation.
(Sunil Gatade is a former associate editor with PTI. Venkatesh Kesari was an assistant editor with The Asian Age.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
