Devendra Fadnavis: New CM of Maharashtra – Oath-Taking Ceremony
Ten days after the Maharashtra Assembly election results, the puzzle of the Chief Ministership has been solved. At the BJP Legislative Party meeting held in the Central Hall of Vidhan Bhavan, Chandrakant Patil and Sudhir Mungantiwar proposed Devendra Fadnavis’s name for the role. The proposal was approved unanimously by the MLAs, confirming that Fadnavis will take the oath as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister for the third time.
Since the election results, the BJP has consistently promoted Fadnavis as the Chief Ministerial candidate across social media and political platforms. The official announcement has now been made.
“I Am the Ocean, I Will Return”
In 2019, when the Sena-BJP alliance collapsed over the Chief Ministerial post, dramatic political events unfolded. Fadnavis took the oath with Ajit Pawar in a morning ceremony but had to resign after just 72 hours, becoming Maharashtra’s shortest-serving Chief Minister. During his farewell speech as Leader of the Opposition, he quoted a poetic line hinting at his return:
“Mera paani utarta dekh, na jaana kinare par; main samundar hoon, laut kar aunga.”
True to his word, Fadnavis has returned to lead Maharashtra once again. However, the challenge of power-sharing among allies remains significant. Addressing this in his speech after being elected leader of the legislature party, Fadnavis remarked:
“We cannot fulfill every expectation, but we have joined politics with a larger goal. While some things will go our way and others may not, we must work together for the greater good.”
First Stint as Chief Minister
In 2014, as BJP’s state president, Fadnavis, then 44, was unexpectedly announced as the Chief Ministerial candidate. Under his leadership, BJP won 122 seats, the highest in its history. His tenure saw significant accomplishments, including Maharashtra signing 2,603 MoUs worth ₹8 lakh crores during the Make in India Summit and attracting ₹12 lakh crores in investments through the Magnetic Maharashtra program in 2018.
Challenges During Leadership: Maratha Reservation
One of the major challenges of Fadnavis’s tenure was handling the Maratha reservation issue, which led to mass protests and demands for action. Despite internal and external pressures, Fadnavis managed to negotiate and grant reservations under the SEBC category, although they were later suspended. The BJP continues to criticize opposition parties for failing to maintain this reservation.
Internal Party Rivalries
Fadnavis faced internal challenges from senior BJP leaders like Eknath Khadse, an influential OBC leader, and Vinod Tawde, both of whom were contenders for the Chief Ministerial position. While Khadse resigned over a land embezzlement case, Tawde was later absorbed into the central party system, leaving Fadnavis as the undisputed leader.
Turning Point in 2019
The 2019 Assembly elections marked another turning point in Fadnavis’s career. Despite the Sena-BJP alliance winning 161 seats, disagreements over the Chief Minister’s post led to the alliance’s collapse and the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. In a dramatic twist, Fadnavis briefly returned to power with Ajit Pawar, only to resign within days.
Subsequent political upheavals, including Eknath Shinde’s rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray, brought BJP back into power, with Shinde as Chief Minister and Fadnavis as Deputy Chief Minister.
Looking Ahead
As Maharashtra’s new Chief Minister, Fadnavis faces the daunting task of balancing power-sharing among allies, particularly with demands for key portfolios from Ajit Pawar and the Shinde faction. Despite these challenges, Fadnavis’s strong leadership and political acumen are expected to play a decisive role in steering the state’s governance.
