Why Devendra Fadnavis is the most probable contender for CM in Maharashtra?

Devendra Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis is being regarded as one of the forerunners with regards to becoming the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra once the election results come out. As it has done in Haryana, the Bharatiya Janata Party has been able to establish a firm lead in Maharashtra as well. Reports have suggested that at present he is a bigger favourite than Eknath Khadse to become the new CM of this West Indian state. However, in a recent tweet the man in question has stated that the decision to become the CM will be taken by the parliamentary board and legislature party of BJP. The decision will be taken once the results are out. He has also indicated that as of now, thoughts of him becoming the next CM are mere speculation.

However, there are certain reasons as to why Fadnavis enjoys the present status. He is regarded as a new generation leader. At the present moment, the lineup representing BJP in Maharashtra has become a tad worn out and in such a situation he seems to be the best bet to head operations as the new CM. His age – 44 years – could also be a decisive factor in his favour. He is supposed to enjoy a greater amount of acceptability among various strata of people in the state and has a clean image. He is also the present leader of the Maharashtra unit of BJP.

 Clean image of Fadnavis

Maharashtra is one state that has been riddled with corruption for so many days. In fact it has been one of the major issues in the pre-poll campaign. This is where the clean image of Fadnavis could be a major game changer, so to speak. He is also supposed to have the support of BJP leaders. At some election rallies such as the one organized at Nagpur on October 13, his name has been taken as the probable CM of Maharashtra.

Fadnavis, a Brahmin, hails from Nagpur which is where Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha is based. He has previously served in the state unit, been the Mayor of Nagpur at the age of 27 and been the BJP youth wing’s President in 1989. He is also an extremely hard worker and has been dedicating 18-20 hours a day so that BJP could win its first election in Maharashtra without Shiv Sena.

Rival Khadse rules out any ambitions

Eknath Khadse is the other major candidate to become the next CM of Maharashtra. He has been the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra assembly and this is something that could very well work in his favour. Nitin Gadkari, a union minister, has addressed almost 100 rallies across Maharashtra in the run-up to the elections and had been touted as one of the candidates to become the next CM of Maharashtra. However, he has ruled himself out of the equation.

This year BJP has brought an end to its alliance of 25 years with Shiv Sena and is taking part in the elections by its own. It is being stated that the only reason BJP has not projected anyone as the new CM is that it might take away from the electoral campaign that, like the campaign for the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, was created around Narendra Modi and his promise of development. Following the demise of Gopinath Munde in a car crash during June, BJP now does not have a prominent face as such in Maharashtra.

Related information:

Assembly Election Results 2014
Maharashtra Election Results
Haryana Election Results