Devendra Fadnavis being greeted by the state BJP Mahila Morcha President Chitra Kishor Wagh after the counting of votes in Maharashtra.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: "I am a modern Abhimanyu, I know how to penetrate and come out of Chakravyuh and I have shown it", said a smiling Devendra Fadnavis as he coined another catchphrase after the landslide victory of BJP-led Maha Yuti-NDA alliance.
Fadnavis took a leaf out of the epic Mahabharat to explain his position and role.
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“I thank our allies, our workers…I have played a very small role,” said Fadnavis, the Deputy Chief Minister, who had earlier served as Chief Minister and ex-Leader of the Opposition.
Hailing from a proverbial common man’s family, Fadnavis (54) has touched heights of success and is often known as the comeback man.
From Devendra to Devendra ji to Deva Bhau - today, he has proved himself that he is BJP’s pointsperson in Maharashtra.
There are several catchphrases around him.
The most famous being "me punha yein’ (I will be back!) - when he addressed back-to-back rallies ahead of the 2019 polls as the CM.
However, his dream to return as CM failed when the undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray broke the alliance with BJP and efforts to form a government failed.
His statement “main samandar hu, lautkar wapas aayunga” (I am a sea, I will surely return) became popular.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, when asked about his 'me punha yein’ statement, he said: “..yes…I have come back after breaking two parties” - a reference to splits. of Shiv Sena and NCP.
After BJP and Maha Yuti’s landslide victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls, he gave an answer to an earlier criticism - "ek akela Devendra kya karega” by Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders.
After the debacle in Lok Sabha polls, he desired to resign as Deputy CM, but the BJP high-command rejected it.
Fadnavis is a rare brand of politician who is both intellectual and popular with the masses. Soft-spoken and well-educated, he is a no-nonsense administrator.
Hailing from Nagpur, the six-term MLA, has the full backing of the RSS.
A Brahmin in the Maratha-dominated politics of the state, he has carved a niche for himself.
His father, Gangadhar Rao Fadnavis, was an MLC from Nagpur and his mother, Sarita Fadnavis, was the Director of Vidarbha Housing Credit Society.
Born on July 22, 1970, Fadnavis holds a Graduate Degree in Law from Nagpur University, a Post Graduate Degree in Business Management and a Diploma in Methods and Techniques of Project Management from D.S.E. Berlin.
He started off as an elected member of the Municipal Corporation of Nagpur for two consecutive terms, in 1992 and 1997. He has the distinction of being the second youngest Mayor ever in India, when he served as the Mayor of Nagpur.
Deva Bhau now is preparing for a new innings.
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Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls took place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP went up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress tried to make their mark. Maha Yuti are currently comfortably poised to win. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faced a challenge after Hemant Soren's arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP, but look set to retain power with its I.N.D.I.A. allies. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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