Vidarbha’s 2-state man may be in Mantralaya as united CM

NAGPUR: For many, Devendra Fadnavis' defining image is of him thundering, "Maharashtrawadiyanno, chaaltewha" (Pro-Maharashtra people; buzz off) in the state assembly as he passionately made the case for a separate Vidarbha. Beyond the obvious irony of such a person becoming the chief minister of Maharashtra lies a unique political career. His rise in Maharashtra politics has been exceptional. A Brahmin, he's risen to the top in a milieu dominated by Maratha politics.
A meteoric rise apart, he remains the quintessential boy next door. A well-educated family man, he joins his wife on stage during musical soirees, at times. His staff, who have been with him for years, appreciate both the fact that he never raises his voice and that he looks after them well. At a time when even petty politicians begin feathering their nest from the word go, he remains squeaky clean. He controls no educational empire or cooperative, has not taken any concessional land or loans from government, has no web of shell companies to mask his financial transactions. On the contrary, he is known for having exposed many scandals. Yet, he is no Arvind Kejriwal. He seems okay with the paradigm of expensive, high-decibel campaigns that are integral to the winning elections.

Fadnavis owed his initial break as corporator at age 22 to the debt the party felt towards his late father Gangadharrao Fadnavis, a staunch Sangh activist. Gangadharrao died when Fadnavis was 16, leaving a legacy of loyalty, forthrightness, honesty and public good to his younger son. He also learnt the ropes of electoral politics from his aunt Shobhatai.

There's been no looking back, since. At 27, he became the youngest mayor of Nagpur. Ramesh Shingare, health minister in Fadnavis' Mayor-in-Council, said, "His talent was that he used to protect officials in the house and then get work done from them which improved the administration." It helped that the BJP-Sena combine ran the state government as Fadnavis could get funds for vital projects for Nagpur.

The party took note of his growing stature and fielded him from Nagpur west constituency in 1999. By this time he was convinced, and remains so to this day, that Vidarbha cannot progress as long as it remains a part of Maharashtra. The formation of Chhattisgarh next door and the burst of development activities there made him an even more passionate supporter of the statehood cause.

Fadnavis' big test came in 2004 when he was pitted against Congress veteran Ranjit Deshmukh, who had money power and caste on his side. While experts were skeptical of his chances, a tea seller in Ramdaspeth at that time had the issue settled. When asked whom he would vote for, he said, "Fadnavis, of course. If there is some problem at midnight I can approach him. Deshmukh's guards won't let me near his house." Fadnavis won that election by over 17,000 votes.

One event marked his exceptional popularity: his huge wedding in 2006. Lakhs thronged the Satpuda Botanic gardens to greet the young couple. In his third term, Fadnavis became the right hand man of Eknath Khadse. It was during this time that he exposed a large number of state-level scams, catching Narendra Modi's eye who later made him state party president.

Sandip Joshi, a close aide, feels that it was under Fadnavis that the party expanded substantially in the state. "He has a scientific approach towards politics," Joshi said. Which explains, perhaps, the high praise he gets from both partymen and rivals.