As Maharashtra gears up for the announcement of assembly election results on Saturday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance is positioned as a strong contender to form the government. Exit polls predict a clear majority for the alliance, raising speculation about the next chief minister. While the BJP has refrained from declaring a CM candidate, political observers point to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as the likely frontrunner.
Fadnavis recently met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat at the Sangh headquarters in Nagpur. Officially, the visit was attributed to Fadnavis thanking the RSS for its role in voter mobilization. However, political insiders see the meeting as significant amid mounting buzz over Fadnavis’s potential return to the top post.
According to a report by The Free Press Journal (FPJ), the BJP’s internal discussions reflect on the decision in June 2022, when the party backed Eknath Shinde as chief minister following the dramatic collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Fadnavis, who orchestrated Shinde’s rebellion and split the Shiv Sena, was widely expected to lead the government himself. However, the BJP central leadership’s decision to appoint Shinde reportedly surprised and disappointed Fadnavis and party cadres alike.
Sources within the BJP now acknowledge that sidelining Fadnavis in favor of Shinde may have been a strategic misstep. Over the past two years, the Shiv Sena (UBT) under Thackeray has remained politically resilient, even making notable gains in the Lok Sabha elections at the BJP’s expense.
A senior BJP leader quoted by FPJ remarked, “Had Fadnavis been made CM after dismantling the MVA, the BJP could have consolidated its position further. This time, the central leadership should rectify its past mistakes and back Fadnavis, who has proven his administrative capabilities during his previous term as CM from 2014 to 2019.”
While other BJP leaders like Pankaja Munde, Chandrakant Patil, and Vinod Tawde are considered contenders, Fadnavis’s political stature and experience give him an edge. Despite concerns about his Brahmin caste background in a Maratha-dominated political landscape, his efforts to implement Maratha reservations during his tenure have bolstered his credibility.
The FPJ report also highlights that the BJP has prepared contingency plans should the Mahayuti fail to achieve a majority. Speculation suggests that the party could seek support from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) patriarch Sharad Pawar, leveraging ongoing investigations involving his daughter Supriya Sule. BJP insiders hint at potential negotiations to accommodate Sule as deputy CM in exchange for NCP support.
As the political landscape evolves, all eyes are on Saturday’s results, which will determine whether Fadnavis emerges as the leader of Maharashtra’s next government or if alternative alliances come into play.