BJP's Devendra Fadnavis Likely To Become Next Maharashtra CM: Who Is He?

They say it was the Shiv Sena versus the Shiv Sena but Uddhav Thackeray versus Devendra Fadnavis. Few perhaps realise that in the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray last night rests his soured friendship with the BJP stalwart Devendra Fadnavis. 

Following the resignation of Shiv Sena's Uddgav Thackeray, it is being speculated that the BJP will once more stake claim over the Maharashtra government. The Maharashtra unit of BJP recently toom to Twitter and tweeted a video of Fadnavis saying, "I will come again For the creation of a new Maharashtra! Jai Maharashtra."

 

Fadnavis and Thackeray, who had shared an uneasy friendship despite being partners in the government from 2014-2019, are now pitted against each other in the present political crisis in Maharashtra. The BJP, particularly Fadnavis, has not forgiven the Shiv Sena for forming the government with ideological opposites, the Congress and the NCP, in 2019. According to sources, since then Fadnavis has been focused on bringing down the MVA Government. 

A look back at Fadnavis's journey as a key leader in the Maharashtra politics:

Devendra Gangadharrao Fadnavis is an Indian politician and a member of BJP. He served as the 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2014 to 2019 and became the second-youngest CM of the state at the age of 44. He was elected after Sharad Pawar and took the oath of office on 31st October 2014 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He was appointed as the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2019. He represents the Nagpur South West constituency in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Born on 22 July 1970 in a Brahmin family in Nagpur, Maharashtra, he went to Saraswati Vidyalaya, Shankar Nagar Chowk in Nagpur for his schooling. Later, he enrolled at Government Law College, Nagpur, for a five-year integrated law degree, and graduated in 1992. He then completed his Post Graduate Degree in Business Management and a Diploma in Project Management from D.S.E. Berlin. Devendra married Amruta Ranade in 2006.

In the 1990s, he started his political career at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and joined Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) later. At the age of 21, Fadnavis became the youngest Mayor of Nagpur where he worked for two consecutive terms from 1992 to 1997. He won his first municipal election from Nagpur's Ram Nagar Ward and was elected as the youngest Corporator at the age of 22 in 1992. In 1997, he became the youngest Mayor of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and the second youngest Mayor in India. Since 1999, he served as the Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for three consecutive terms till 2004.

In 2001, Fadnavis was appointed as Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) National Vice-President.  He served as the General Secretary of BJP's Maharashtra unit in 2010 and became the President of the state unit in 2013. In 2019, he was re-elected from the Nagpur South West assembly seat. 

In 2019, during his second term as the CM, he had formed his government and took an oath three days after taking oath after his alliance with NCP leader Ajit Pawar. However, he had to dissolve the same while being in power only for five days.