As Maharashtra heads to polls in less than a week's time, the state's political fortunes are in stark contrast to what they were in 2014. And that is primarily due to incumbent Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
In the past five years, the Fadnavis government has had its fair share of challenges. From state-wide farmer protests and rallies demanding Maratha reservation to the love-hate relationship with its ally Shiv Sena. Fadnavis has braved it all.
While campaigning for the upcoming state elections, Prime Minster Narendra Modi at a rally in Maharashtra even said, “Formula of Narendra and Devendra has been superhit in the last five years. When Narendra and Devendra stand together, 1+1 becomes 11 and not 2.”
According to senior political journalist Anosh Malekar, Fadnavis has managed to retain a “clean image” while dealing with rivals and has kept ally Shiv Sena in good humour at the same time.
This has really helped him consolidate his position and take charge of Maharashtra affairs all by himself.Anosh Malekar, Senior Political Journalist
“His own personal manner and his political acumen in terms of dealing with challenges has been very acute,” Nistula Hebbar, political editor of The Hindu, told BloombergQuint. After Vasantrao Naik, Fadnavis has been the only chief minister in the state to complete a five-year term, she said.
During his tenure, Fadnavis has sailed to the summit of Maharashtra politics, keeping several state bigwigs at bay and tackling critical issues like the Maratha reservation and farmers' march rather tactically. He has also outgrown the “high command” appointee image as most Bharatiya Janata Party chief ministers have been since 2014, becoming the undisputed leader of what was once the most Congress state in the country. Nistula Hebbar gives credit to Fadnavis' “political chops” in rising above other political strongmen and creating a “first among equals” image for himself.
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