Synopsis
Devendra Fadnavis has been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Maharashtra BJP Legislative Party and is set to become the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra. This comes just five months after he offered to resign as Deputy Chief Minister following the BJP’s poor performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
ET OnlineMaharashtra BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Maharashtra BJP Legislative Party on Wednesday. The election took place during a legislature party meeting at the Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan. Fadnavis is now poised to assume the role of the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra, following his selection by the BJP core committee.
Fadnavis offered to Resign just 5 months ago
It comes just five months after Fadnavis offered to resign from his position as Deputy Chief Minister, taking full responsibility for the BJP’s poor showing in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “No matter how many statistics I present, since I was leading the party in the state, I take full responsibility,” Fadnavis had stated at the time. The BJP had seen a significant drop in its Lok Sabha seat count in Maharashtra, from 23 in 2019 to only 9 in 2024.
However, in the state assembly elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance won 240 seats, well beyond the majority mark of 145. The BJP emerged as the largest party, winning 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena with 57 and the NCP with 41. Analysts attribute the BJP’s victory to various factors, including the role of allies, RSS support, and Fadnavis’ leadership during the election campaign.
Fadnavis’ Political Comeback
Devendra Fadnavis, popularly known as “Deva Bhau” in Maharashtra, is now a strong contender for the role of Chief Minister. The BJP, which had previously agreed to make Eknath Shinde the Chief Minister in 2022 after Shinde split from Shiv Sena, may now reconsider its position, given the party’s impressive win. Fadnavis’ return to the top post seems increasingly likely as the BJP can form the government with the support of one of its allies, reducing the bargaining power of both Shiv Sena and NCP.
In 2019, speaking in the assembly after becoming the deputy chief minister, Fadnavis had famously said: “Mera paani utarta dekh mere kinare pe ghar mat basa lena. Main samandar hun laut kar wapis aaunga (don’t build a house on my shore after seeing my water receding. I am an ocean, I will come back,” he said in the video.
Devendra Fadnavis’ Political Journey
Devendra Fadnavis has long been a key figure in Maharashtra politics. Known for his political acumen, he is widely regarded as one of the BJP’s top strategists. A Deshastha Brahmin from Vidarbha, Fadnavis rose through the ranks of the BJP, becoming the youngest corporator in Nagpur at 21 and the youngest mayor at 27. He became the state BJP president in 2013 and served as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister from 2014 to 2019.
Fadnavis’ political career has had its ups and downs, including a brief stint as Chief Minister in 2019, which lasted only a few days. He was appointed Deputy Chief Minister in 2022 when Eknath Shinde took over as Chief Minister. However, despite being relegated to a lesser role, Fadnavis has vowed to return to the top post.
With the BJP’s resounding victory and growing support for his leadership, Fadnavis seems on the brink of achieving his political comeback as the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
