Devendra Fadnavis is set to take oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister for the third time
Mumbai:
Devendra Fadnavis was 22 when he became a corporator. Five years later, he was the youngest mayor in Nagpur’s history and the second-youngest in India. At 39, he became an MLA and at 43, he was chosen Maharashtra BJP chief. A year later, he was Maharashtra Chief Minister, the second-youngest in history after his political rival Sharad Pawar.
Then, the overachiever faced a massive setback, and his ability to bounce back catapulted him into the league of one of the tallest leaders of the BJP. “Main samundar hoon, lautkar wapis aaunga” — he had said in 2019 when he resigned after Shiv Sena decided to switch alliances.
But between the promise and the return, Mr Fadnavis grew his political stature manifold through acumen, patience and sacrifice.
The Beginning
Devendra Fadnavis was born in a Marathi Brahmin family in Nagpur to Gangadhar Fadnavis and Sarita Fadnavis. His father was with the Jana Sangh and then the BJP and rose to become a member of the state legislative council. According to his website, young Devendra was put in Indira Convent School, Nagpur, but he refused to study there after his father was arrested during the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government. He was then put in Saraswati Vidyalaya, run by the BJP’s ideological parent RSS. Mr Fadnavis graduated in law with a gold medal before completing an MBA. His political journey continued alongside, from the Nagpur civic body to the state Assembly.
The Big Break
A year after he became Maharashtra BJP chief, Mr Fadnavis led the party to a massive score of 122 seats in the 2014 state polls. Riding high on the wave in favour of Narendra Modi in 2014, the BJP crossed the 100-seat mark for the first time and formed a government in alliance with Shiv Sena. Mr Fadnavis was chosen as the Chief Minister. Over the next five years, he spearheaded several infrastructure projects, including the Mumbai coastal road plan and Nagpur Metro, earning popularity among urban voters. His political acumen and development outlook earned him the praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called him “Nagpur’s gift to the country”. In 2019, when Mr Fadnavis completed his first term, he became only the second Maharashtra Chief Minister Vasantrao Naik in the 1970s to complete a full term in office.
The Setback, And The Sacrifice
The BJP and the Shiv Sena fought the 2019 state polls in an alliance and scored the numbers to form the government. But differences arose over the top post, with Uddhav Thackeray insisting on rotational Chief ministership. Eventually, Sena walked out of the alliance. Mr Fadnavis tied up with NCP’s Ajit Pawar to cobble up the numbers and took the oath as Chief Minister in a hurried ceremony. But this government lasted four days. The Sena then formed a government with NCP and Congress with Uddhav Thackeray as the Chief Minister. Mr Fadnavis became Leader of the Opposition and waited for the right time. This time came in 2022 when Mr Thackeray’s aide Eknath Shinde led a mutiny that split the Sena. The Shinde Sena decided to join hands with the BJP. And Mr Fadnavis faced a tough test of loyalty. Despite the BJP holding more numbers in the Assembly, the party leadership agreed to let Mr Shinde become Chief Minister.
Mr Fadnavis accepted the Deputy Chief Minister role, although reluctantly. This was not an easy decision, for a former Chief Minister to be Number 2 despite his party holding the maximum MLAs. But this decision established Mr Fadnavis as the party’s loyal soldier ready to make sacrifices.
The Return
When the BJP-led Mahayuti suffered a big setback in the Lok Sabha election this year, few would have imagined how much the picture would change months later. The 2024 state polls saw the BJP post its best-ever score in Maharashtra, winning 132 out of 148 seats it contested. The Mahayuti’s tally reached 230 in the 288-member Assembly.
But government formation is always a tall task when multiple allies are involved. Eknath Shinde’s Sena wanted to keep the Chief Minister post and argued that the election was won under his leadership. But the BJP put its foot down and the legislators rallied behind Mr Fadnavis, citing how he took a backseat in 2022 and the need to reward him for leading the party to the mammoth mandate. Mr Fadnavis had once said he is a “modern Abhimanyu” who knows how to break the Chakravyuh. His Chakravyuh demanded patience, loyalty and sacrifice. He delivered all three, and came out stronger.
