Devendra Fadnavis - The Marathon Man

Even in an attenuated victory, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has demonstrated his ability to last the course, taking in his winning stride both a demanding ally and a resurgent opposition

- Kiran D. Tare

Mee punha yein (I’ll be back).” That was Devendra Fadnavis in June this year, sounding more Terminator than chief minister. He was responding to charges by the Opposition that he had been a failure on all fronts. It was the last day of the legislative assembly session in June and Fadnavis was oozing confidence—certain that he would be the state’s first chief minister since the late Vasantrao Naik in 1972 to complete a full term.

On October 24, Fadnavis made history for a second time. He is now the first non-Congress CM in the state’s 59-year history to have returned to power after a full term. In October 2014, he was chosen to lead the state over party stalwarts like Nitin Gadkari and Eknath Khadse. And as the results were counted on October 24, he remained undisputed leader, even though the party won 17 fewer seats than it did in 2014.

Fadnavis is back, but in a vastly changed political landscape. The BJP win indicates that voters are ready to give them another opportunity, but it is a qualified victory. Fadnavis has to contend with a resurgent ally, the Shiv Sena, which recorded its fourthbest performance ever to bag 56 seats. Already, Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has raised the stakes. Even as the results were coming in, at a press conference on Thursday, he said the alliance will not stake claim to form the government until they arrive at a power-sharing formula. “We insist on a 50:50 share of power,” he told reporters. Fadnavis, meanwhile, avoided confronting Thackeray. He said they have already decided the power-sharing formula. “We will disclose it at the right time,” he said.