There are many ironies in politics, and more. It took the BJP about 12 days to appoint Devendra Fadnavis as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. This despite his declaration that he was a “modern-day Abhimanyu” and, unlike the legendary Arjuna’s son, knew how to break the labyrinth.
Ironically, the BJP, with 132 seats in its kitty and the support of five independents, secured a near-majority in the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, a record for the saffron party, and yet to elect a new chief minister. There was a delay.
As promised, Mr. Fadnavis broke through the maze to become the rising star of the Sangh Parivar.
As in the case of Yogi Adityanath, it may be that the RSS has finally put its foot down to make way for Mr. Fadnavis. Like the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Fadnavis has shown that he is a leader in his own right. He is undoubtedly the discovery of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to whom he is grateful for the experience so far.
What set off alarm bells in the BJP high command was that everyone in the NDA was present to greet Mr. Fadnavis, as well as top guns from Bollywood and the business world. It was a sign that he had finally arrived. A few decades ago, the late Bal Thackeray described the Chief Minister of a rich state as being like a Deputy Prime Minister.
Mumbai is the financial capital, and its control is crucial for any ruling party.
Mr. Fadnavis’s victory was all the more notable, as the Maharashtra elections this time around were essentially a “local” affair with Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah, star campaigners, taking a back seat.
Whether one likes it or not, Fadnavis has catapulted himself among BJP’s “number two” leaders like Amit Shah, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Yogi Adityanath, so that a staunch RSS man can do if other things are prioritized. Be lucky for the big things.
Among all these emerging leaders, Mr. Fadnavis shines. Despite being a staunch RSS loyalist, he finds himself at ease in the globalized world. Gentle yet firm and with good manners and manners, he is the picture of perfect patience. But some say that compared to Nitin Gadkari, who once mentored him, he is not so reliable.
It goes without saying that Mr. Fadnavis’ strength lies in the fact that he is not counted among the many faceless chief ministers of the BJP who are there because they are the “yes men” of the high command.
Ironically, one of the first leaders to praise him after he became the leader of the BJP legislature party was BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde, who was eyeing his post. Tawde, who failed to get re-nomination in the last Assembly elections, is said to have been backed by a section of the BJP leadership to cut Mr. Fadnavis down to size. In the run-up to the elections, Mr. Tawde had suggested that there might be someone other than Fadnavis as chief minister this time.
The BJP, which crossed paths with Fadnavis, was worst hit. Eknath Khadse, who was the BJP chief in Maharashtra before the rise of Mr. Fadnavis, is now bound to return to Sharad Pawar’s NCP, with JP Nadda offering him a bouquet a few months ago, which could signal his return.
Pankaja Munde has been forced to turn from critic to Mr. Fadnavis’ loyalist for her political survival.
But the road ahead is not all roses. First and foremost, he has to bring stability to the government when Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is not all that happy till now.
Challenges abound for Fadnavis, especially next year, for him to settle down. With great victories come great responsibilities and expectations – to deliver, and to deliver fast.
The next year will be crucial for Mr. Fadnavis amid persistent claims and accusations by the opposition that the Assembly election results were “shocking and unimaginable” and that senior leaders including Sharad Pawar are expected to travel heaven and earth to get to the truth. .
Time is also of the essence for Mr. Fadnavis to prove that his victory was not a flash in the pan. Sooner or later, there will be elections to many local bodies, including municipal corporations, which will show who is blowing where and how the wind is blowing.
The moral of the story is that the BJP in Maharashtra will never be the same again after the re-emergence of Mr. Fadnavis as Chief Minister, who feels he has carte blanche to run the state, unlike most BJP leaders in the state. . Mr. Fadnavis may not have a strong opposition in the legislature, but coincidentally two Maratha-led allies, now his representatives in the Cabinet, the Shiv Sena and the NCP respectively — will try hard to expand their parties. The help of Shakti.
On the other hand, the BJP high command knows that the modern-day Abhimanyu aspires to be Arjuna. Mahabharata After Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a record-breaking third term, political circles have been grumbling about his potential successor.
Therefore, Mr. Fadnavis has to address his own bosses in the party on the one hand and Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar on the other, and do both delicately and tactfully. That’s because he doesn’t have the caste support base and he doesn’t have the vote bank, which Yogi Adityanath has, not just in Uttar Pradesh, but in the entire Hindi heartland as Thakur.
Clearly, Mr. Fadnavis has to tread carefully because of hidden rivals within his own party. Hence, every election in Maharashtra will test his leadership, and it will decide his stability and longevity in power.
Maharashtra is not an ordinary state. It took 10 years for the BJP to stabilize in the state after Mr. Modi’s rise to the national stage. BJP’s victory in Maharashtra was nothing less than “Operation Blitzkrieg”. Fadnavis’ path to a bigger national role depends on how well he tackles Maharashtra.