Mumbai: From a back-bencher in the school to Maharashtra Chief Minister for the third time, Devendra Fadnavis has come a long way weathering all odds.
Despite the Shiv Sena’s alliance break, Fadnavis remained steadfast, eventually securing the Deputy Chief Minister’s post in the MahaYuti government led by Eknath Shinde. His resilience was further demonstrated in the BJP’s recovery from a poor Lok Sabha election performance to a victory in the state assembly election.
His meteoric rise from a booth-level worker to a corporation in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation to the Chief Minister was possible due to his hard work, foresight, and strong confidence in converting a crisis into an opportunity.
Born on July 22, 1970, in a middle-class family from Maharastra’s second capital, Nagpur, he learned politics from his father, former legislator Gangadharrao Fadnavis, an active Jan Sangh activist. His mother, Sarita, played a crucial role in his upbringing.
Since his college days, Fadnavis has been associated with the RSS, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, and various social organisations.
In 1992, at the age of 22, Fadnavis entered electoral politics when he became a corporator. In 1997, he was elected as one of the youngest mayors of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation. His dedication and administrative capabilities were evident, and the BJP gave him many opportunities to stamp his mark in politics.
Fadnavis became a legislator for the first time in 1999 and was re-elected in 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024 elections.
He became the state BJP general secretary in 2010 and later assumed the charge of state unit chief in 2013.
Fadnavis’s strategic acumen and leadership were evident in the 2014 elections, where he played a pivotal role in the BJP’s success, leading them to victory with 122 seats.
Contrary to expectations within the BJP, the party’s central leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, picked Fadnavis as the Maharashtra Chief Minister in 2014. He completed his five-year term, proving his command over administration and tightening his grip over the party.
Amid Maratha reservation protests, Fadnavis took the initiative to table the bill, ensuring reservation for the Maratha community ahead of the 2019 assembly elections. The Bombay High Court upheld the bill but later scrapped it by the Supreme Court.
He is also credited with successfully organising the ‘Make In Maharashtra’ and ‘Make In India’ summits in Mumbai. He launched an ambitious Jalyukt Shivar Yojana to make Marathwada drought-free.
Moreover, during his tenure, Fadnavis took the initiative to launch a metro network in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and launched a slew of infrastructure projects, including Mumbai Coastal Road, Atal Setu, and Mumbai Nagpur Samruddhi Marg.
The Fadnavis-led government’s decision to provide reservations to the Maratha community helped the BJP again cross a century by winning 105 seats in the 2019 elections.
After Shiv Sena ditched the BJP and joined hands with Congress and NCP, Fadnavis worked as a Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly. He cornered the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government over the alleged scams in handling the coronavirus pandemic, corruption in police transfers and promotions, and unholy nexus between criminals and politicians.
During his tenure as the LoP, NCP’s two top ministers, Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh, were jailed on charges of money laundering.
Fadnavis played a major role in the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in June 2022 after Eknath Shinde led a rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray. Fadnavis became Deputy Chief Minister and worked with Eknath Shinde to expedite a number of projects stalled by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
He was instrumental in bringing Ajit Pawar to MahaYuti in July 2023. Shinde, Fadnavis, and Pawar launched a slew of welfare and development schemes worth Rs 96,000 crore, including the Ladki Bahin Yojana, ahead of the Assembly election, which helped MahaYuti score a major win in the state Assembly election.
Fadnavis crafted an Assembly poll strategy that resulted in the BJP winning a record 132 seats and the natural claimant for the chief minister’s post.
With Thursday’s swearing-in, Fadnavis, popularly known as Devabhau for a host of beloved sisters across Maharashtra, has launched his 3.0 innings with a resolve to speed up Maharashtra’s development and transformation further.
Sanjay Jog –IANS
