Fadnavis is the favorite face of the Sangh
Fadnavis, who has held the post of Maharashtra CM and then Deputy CM, is the most prominent BJP face in the state, who also has the support of BJP’s ideological patron Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). It is said that he/she is also in the good books of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The RSS is likely to support Fadnavis to become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra after the grand election victory of the Mahayuti alliance. Not only because of their closeness to the RSS, but also because of the BJP’s best ever performance in the elections by emerging as the largest party.
governance experience
Devendra Fadnavis also has a lot of experience in running the government. Fadnavis served as the Chief Minister from 2014 to 2019. However, his/her second term could not begin in 2019. Uddhav Thackeray’s insistence on becoming the CM saw the people of Maharashtra take dramatic turns between 2019 and 2024. Even in 2019, NDA had a clear majority, but Uddhav thought it better to join Mahavikas Aghadi and Fadnavis had to play the role of leader of the opposition. Uddhav became the CM there and Devendra Fadnavis missed becoming the Chief Minister for the second consecutive time.
When Shiv Sena divided in 2022, it paved the way for NDA’s return to power. There were expectations that Fadnavis would once again take over the reins as Chief Minister. Instead, the BJP central leadership chose to give the top post to Eknath Shinde to marginalize Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction. Fadnavis was appointed to the post of Deputy Chief Minister. At that time Fadnavis happily accepted.
Mahavikas Aghadi including Uddhav were defeated at every step.
The Mahavikas Aghadi government had full confidence that the government would be formed by them, but Devendra Fadnavis did not get bothered by this and kept doing his/her work. Even when the number came down from 23 seats to 9 in the 2024 general elections, he/she did not accept defeat. BJP suffered defeat in the Lok Sabha due to the inclusion of Ajit group leaders, RSS was also upset due to JP Nadda’s statement on the Sangh. Devendra Fadnavis was not bothered by all this. he/she not only maintained coordination with Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat but also tried to ensure that everything is fine between BJP and RSS before Maharashtra elections. Earlier in Maharashtra, Bal Thackeray had Shiv Sena as the elder brother, but Fadnavis changed this too. In 2014, 2019 and now in 2024, he/she told who is the real boss of Maharashtra now.
Devendra Fadnavis also strengthened PM Modi’s slogan that if we stay together, we will be safe. Fadnavis kept telling in his/her rally that the Mahavikas Aghadi government believes in Aurangzeb, while the land belongs to Shivaji. Seeing Uddhav Thackeray going soft on Aurangzeb, Devendra Fadnavis tried to tell the voters that he/she has the real Shiv Sena. his/her election statements put the entire Mahavikas Aghadi in the dock along with Uddhav. This created his/her image as a hardliner leader. Here are some excerpts
➤ Congress people are rainy frogs. They bring manifestos during elections. In the last election, Rahul Gandhi had said that he/she will give houses to slum dwellers. Their government was for 2.5 years. he/she did not fulfill his/her promise. Yesterday he/she again issued the manifesto. In that, these people forgot about the slum dwellers.
➤This is not an ordinary election. We are not against any religion. We never talked about religion. We brought schemes for all castes and religions. If anyone here talks about vote jihad, we will respond to him/her with a vote crusade.
➤A demand was made to release the Muslim accused involved in all the riots that took place from 2010 to 2024. People involved in riots destroy the country. MVA says that it has accepted the demand to release such people. This will be acceptable to MVA, but is not acceptable to the country.
Image of Vikas Purusha
Apart from the hardliner image, it would not be wrong if Devendra Fadnavis is also called a development man. Fadnavis has consistently supported growth-focused governance, with an emphasis on urban infrastructure projects such as the Samruddhi Expressway, the Mumbai Trans Harbor Link and the Navi Mumbai Airport. he/she has also expanded metro connectivity in Nagpur-Pune and Mumbai. his/her commitment to addressing irrigation issues and promoting investment has strengthened his/her image as a progressive leader.