BackDevendra Fadnavis to be sworn in as BJP’s first Maharashtra CM
Four-time legislator from Nagpur elected leader of BJP legislative wing; state of Shiv Sena support still not clear
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Mumbai: From his days riding a humble Vijay Super scooter as an activist of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student group linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), across the colleges of Nagpur, Devendra Fadnavis has come a long way.
At age 44, he will now tour Maharashtra in the chief minister’s motorcade.
Fadnavis was just 17 when he lost his father, Gangadharrao, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member in the state legislative council.
Informing his mother, Saritatai, that he wants to carry forward his father’s political work, he joined the ABVP. While pursuing his law degree in 1992 at the age of 22, he contested his first election for the post of a corporator in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and won.
Hailing from Vidarbha region, he is now set to become the second youngest chief minister of Maharashtra.
The four-time legislator from Nagpur on Tuesday was unanimously elected leader of the Maharashtra BJP legislative wing, paving the way for him to become the 18th chief minister of the state.
Brahmins make up just 3.5% of the state’s population and, like Tamil Nadu in the south, Maharashtra, too, has a strong anti-Brahmin movement going back many years.
However, his Brahmin origins never troubled Fadnavis, telling journalists a year-and-a-half ago: “I think I have come a long way from being seen from the prism of casteist equations and I am confident my work will take me forward."
Kishore Gajbhiye, a dalit activist who is currently a member of the legislative council (MLC) from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and was a corporator at the same time as Fadnavis, said, “Fadnavis is a truly casteless person; he doesn’t suffer from superiority complex a bit for being born in an upper caste and has always been at the forefront of championing the cause of dalits and other backward classes (OBC)."
Clearly mindful of the caste sensitivities, Fadnavis, in his first statement after getting elected on Tuesday, paid rich tributes to dalit icon Babasaheb Ambedkar and vowed to protect and implement the constitution, one of whose architects was Ambedkar.
In the old-fashioned style of rival Congress party, Fadnavis’ name was endorsed by two other major contenders for the post. Eknath Khadse, leader of the opposition in the last assembly, proposed his name, which was seconded by former state BJP president and another legislator from Vidarbha Sudhir Mungantiwar.
Fadnavis will take oath of office on Friday and the swearing-in is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, chief ministers of other BJP-ruled states and senior BJP leaders such as former deputy prime minister L.K. Advani and home minister Rajnath Singh among others.
However, it is still not clear whether the BJP is forming a government on its own or is also taking its estranged alliance partner, the Shiv Sena, on board.
If the BJP is to form a minority government, without the support of the Sena, then such a government will be constantly tested on the floor of the assembly—and in such a scenario, Fadnavis’s friendships, cutting across party lines, might prove handy.
Former minister of state in the Congress-NCP government Ranjit Kamble said, “I and Devendra are sort of batchmates as both of us got elected to the state assembly in 1999 for the first time. Devendra is quite aggressive while presenting his point of view but avoids personal barbs during debates and tries to focus on issues on hand rather than attacking the person and it is this ability that has won him friends across party lines."
“Whenever Devendra came to meet me as a minister, he never came with request for some personal work but always with issues related to constituency, our Vidarbha region or issues affecting entire state," Kamble added.
The biggest challenge before Fadnavis after taking charge will be on pursuing cases against ex-ministers belonging to the NCP such as former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, former water resources minister Sunil Tatkare and public works minister Chhagan Bhujbal, to follow up on corruption allegations the BJP had raised during the campaign.
Political commentator Kumar Ketkar said, “If the Sena doesn’t come on board, the stability of government will hinge upon support of NCP’s 41 legislators and in such a scenario, the BJP will indulge in time-killing activities, like appointments of inquiry committees and special task forces, instead of straight away starting criminal proceedings against these former ministers."
A mild-mannered Fadnavis enjoys the confidence of Prime Minister Modi and BJP president Shah—in a campaign speech at Nagpur, Modi declared Fadnavis a national asset.
However, Fadnavis is more inspired by the achievements of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan than the so-called Gujarat model of development spearheaded by Modi.
Fadnavis often talked about implementing the Right to Service Act along the lines of Madhya Pradesh if the BJP came to power in Maharashtra—something he attempted in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation when he was mayor in the late nineties.
He published a citizen’s charter and guaranteed Nagpur residents various municipal services in a stipulated timeframe.
Bhanu Rajgopalan, Nagpur-based advertising professional and Fadnavis’ childhood friend, said, “Despite coming from a well-off family with political lineage, Devendra has always been a humble and down-to-earth person and always gives a patient hearing to any person who comes to meet him and tries to solve his problem."
Even after becoming legislator, he never missed an opportunity to play cricket at an open ground just outside his home at the Trikoni Park, or Triangular Park, in Nagpur, Rajgopalan added.
A senior RSS functionary from Nagpur who did not want to be named said, “Both Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari belong to RSS families and RSS culture is embedded in them. As individuals, they are as different as chalk and cheese. While Gadkari is aggressive and carries his devil-may-care attitude on his sleeve, and courts controversies, Fadnavis is extremely polite, speaks his mind but in measured words and never uses foul language either in public or private."
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