Devendra Fadnavis: The man who quit school because it was named after Indira

In a state dominated by Maratha politics and politicians, the 54-year-old leader was only the second Brahmin after Shiv Sena's Manohar Joshi to become the state’s chief minister. This is unsurprising given the Maratha perception of Brahmins as traitors, particularly applied to the Brahmin-led Peshwai of medieval Maharashtra. Fadnavis himself has consistently faced attacks for his Brahmin identity from Maratha leaders, ranging from former chief minister Sharad Pawar to Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarage-Patil. The resurgence of Fadnavis despite Maharashtra’s unique caste dynamics shows his political acumen and resilience.As he assumes office as the 21st chief minister of Maharashtra, which ranks third in terms of size and second in population, Fadnavis will face many challenges. Topmost among them will be implementing the Mahayuti’s election promises, including an expanded Ladki Bahin scheme, which is sure to have the finance department grumbling. Another challenge will be to counter his new communal image, thanks to his endorsement of the idea of “dharma yuddha” to counter “vote jihad” and his parroting of PM Modi’s slogan “Ek hai to safe hai”. Fadnavis has already claimed that he was just responding to opposition tactics of appealing to voters’ caste and Maulana Nomani’s call for Muslim solidarity, but it will take concerted efforts to undo the damage to Maharashtra’s social fabric.Fadnavis has long been the preferred horse of the BJP’s top leadership, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, over the more senior Nagpur leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari. While the RSS showers equal affection on both Gadkari and Fadnavis, it is Fadnavis’ political gumption to take on the Maratha strongman and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar that gives him the edge. This was one of the reasons Fadnavis was preferred for the CM’s post in 2014, though he was relatively young (at 44) and inexperienced. Modi-Shah would hope that by backing Fadnavis, BJP will grow from strength to strength and be able to achieve a majority on its own in the 2029 Maharashtra elections. medium115999011The November 2024 verdict has raised serious questions about the political futures of both Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray, making the dream of a BJP majority look within reach.Completing his maiden tenure from 2014 to 2019 as the state’s 18th chief minister, Fadnavis made history as the first Maharashtra chief minister in 47 years to serve a full term. In that period, he claimed to have taken the state to new heights in foreign investments and industrial output. In 2019, an imminent second term was aborted, first by the Shiv Sena breaking the pre-poll alliance, and then by Ajit Pawar developing cold feet within three days of supporting his government after his infamous pre-dawn swearing-in.Two-and-half years later, he came close to the CM throne again when Eknath Shinde, along with a large chunk of Sena MLAs, joined hands with Fadnavis. But the BJP leadership willed otherwise and he was asked to work as deputy chief minister under Shinde.Fadnavis hails from a moderately well-off Brahmin family in Nagpur. His father was a Jan Sangh activist, who served as Member of Legislative Council and played mentor to a young Nitin Gadkari. His aunt Shobha Fadnavis was a three-term MLA from Chandrapur district and a cabinet minister in the first BJP-Sena government formed in 1995. “Fadnavis was barely 18 or 19 when his father Gangadharrao died and familial responsibilities forced him to grow up prematurely,” said Dr Upendra Kothekar, organising secretary of the BJP. medium115997029Devendra, along with his elder brother Ashish, was a regular at the Dharampeth shakha of the RSS from a young age. Avinash Sangwai, a senior RSS activist, recalled how Devendra was a disciplined swayamsevak since his childhood. “During the RSS’ annual winter camps in Khapri, he took charge of other bal swayamsevaks, showing leadership qualities,” added Sangwai. The oft-repeated story of Fadnavis’ quitting his school, Indira Convent, to protest his father’s incarceration during the Emergency, also sheds light on him being political from a young age.Fadnavis attended RSS-run Dharampeth Arts and Commerce College and became active in student politics as an active leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), BJP’s student wing. He went on to complete a five-year degree in Law, a postgraduate degree in business management, both from Nagpur, and a diploma in project management from D.S.E., Berlin. 115997118All this while, he remained active in youth politics, leading the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), BJP’s youth wing. “The oratory skill he developed as a young activist has helped him both as a legislator and a star election campaigner,” Dr Kothekar said.Shailesh Joglekar, a long-time friend of Fadnavis and former president of the Bajrang Dal in Vidarbha, recalled his active participation in the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation in 1989, which marked him as a future leader of the BJP. Along with Joglekar and other friends from the RSS, Fadnavis went to found the National Cancer Institute, Nagpur, the largest quaternary care centre serving cancer patients in Central India.Foray into politics Fadnavis’ political career took off in 1992, when he was elected as a Corporator for Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), at the young age of 22, serving two consecutive terms. He has the distinction of being the second youngest Mayor in India and the only person in Nagpur to be re-elected to the position of ‘Mayor in Council’. 115999147In 1997, with Congress’ Vilasrao Deshmukh at the helm, Fadnavis faced his first political challenge– over 100 BJP corporators were charged with a sports good scam by the then Municipal Commissioner T Chandrashekhar and the NMC was dissolved.In the 1999 assembly elections, he made his plunge into state politics, and was elected as an MLA at the age of 29. Thereafter, he was elected MLA for 5 more consecutive terms, earning recognition as a leader of the masses. His amiable nature and eagerness to help others have endeared him to his constituents, says his neighbour Ashok Kedar. “While he was the state president of the BJP, my brother met with a serious accident and was hospitalised. Fadnavis drove all the way to the hospital to deal with the police formalities”, remembers Kedar. The residents of Trikoni Park also attest to his accessibility, sharing stories of him providing lively commentary to local night cricket matches, even after he was elected MLA. “Even when he was busy as CM, he never failed to visit the Ganesh pandal in Trikoni Park”, added Kedar. medium115998277Within the party organisation, Fadnavis rose steadily from the post of Ward Convener in 1989 to state president of BJP in 2014. The untimely demise of the two tallest BJP leaders in the state – former Union minister Pramod Mahajan and former deputy CM Gopinath Munde, left a leadership vacuum that needed to be filled. The senior BJP leader at that time, Nitin Gadkari, had already moved to the Centre as the party’s national president, and later, Union minister. Fadnavis made the most of this opportunity, managing to elbow out other contenders such as his senior colleague Eknath Khadse and Gopinath Munde’s heir-apparent Panjaka Munde.As a Member of Legislative Assembly, he is known for his spirited and studied debates. His understanding of fiscal issues is appreciated across party lines. He has served as a member of various Subject Committees, Standing Committees and Joint Select Committees of Legislature. medium115998798He is a recipient of The Best Parliamentarian Award of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.As an elected representative of the people of Nagpur, he was instrumental in resolving the long pending and complex Nazul land issue. Once a fiery advocate for a separate Vidarbha state, he toned down his position to appear more acceptable pan-state, but still stands for the cause of equitable development of Vidarbha.Besides serving as the chief minister, he held other portfolios too, such as Home, General Administration, IT, Urban Development, Law and Judiciary, Ports, and Information & Public Relations. As CM, Fadnavis’ pet project was Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan, an ambitious programme which aimed at making Maharashtra drought-free, received tremendous response leading to the creation of 6 lakh plus low cost, decentralised water structures across 22 thousand plus villages. However, the project was met with much criticism for failing to address recurring droughts. Maharashtra has the dubious distinction of ranking first in farmer suicides. Other important projects launched by Fadnavis include the Metro projects of Mumbai, Nagpur, and Pune, the Nagpur- Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway, and Coastal Road or MTHL (Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link). Infrastructure projects got tremendous impetus during his tenure. His project management approach and problem-solving skills along with a War Room to monitor the implementation of key projects, ensured that the bottlenecks were removed and projects were expedited. medium115999305Fadnavis’ strong inclination towards transparency and good governance was evident when he announced the Right to Service Act in the very first cabinet meeting of his government. At the time, it was the first law in the country to ensure efficient delivery of public services, bringing 393 government services online. He is also credited with launching ‘Aaple Sarkar’, an online platform to streamline grievance redressal and the Chief Minister Fellowship Program, which invited youngsters to participate in governance.Ajay Sancheti, former Rajya Sabha member and close associate of Fadnavis, believes that despite hiccups in government government formation, Mahayuti made the right choice. “Fadnavis, as a development-oriented leader, is the best bet to propel Maharashtra’s growth and help India achieve its goal of becoming a $5 trillion economy,” Sancheti added. Sandip Joshi, Fadnavis’ long-time friend, says that the secret behind him rising to the CM’s post for the third time is his cool approach to setbacks such as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when BJP lost ground in Vidarbha, or being denied chief ministership twice. “He is always calm and composed and waits patiently for the right moment to bounce back,” he summed up.Photos from the writer