Devendra Fadnavis: Seeking More Than A Win (image: x.com/Dev_Fadnavis)

Talking to reporters after submitting a nomination for Nagpur’s South West seat, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed confidence and said, “I will get elected with a good margin.” The upcoming polls marks his sixth election.

With the title of “the surprise CM of 2014,” Fadnavis became the second-youngest Chief Minister in Maharashtra after National Congress Party (NCP) patriarch Sharad Pawar. He has two interesting milestones in his credit: first, the first chief minister in nearly four decades to complete full tenure in office, and second, the chief minister with the shortest tenure in the state. During Fadnavis’ second term as chief minister, he could hold the post only for 80 hours.

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Fadnavis began his political career with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fountainhead of the BJP. During his college days, he was an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He became the the youngest Municipal Councilor of Nagpur Municipal Corporation at the age of 21 and got re-elected as mayor.

Some of the key positions he held in the party and government include National Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), General Secretary of the BJP Maharashtra, President of the BJP Maharashtra, Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

A stronghold for the BJP, Fadnavis has been maintaining victory in the Nagpur South West over multiple assembly elections. In the 2019 elections, Fadnavis secured 1,09,237 votes. He has defeated Congress candidate Dr Ashish Deshmukh by a margin of 49,344 votes. In 2014, Fadnavis defeated Congress rival Prafulla Vinod Gudadhe by a margin of 58,942 votes.

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In the upcoming polls, Congress has fielded Gudadhe against Fadnavis. Congress believes that the changed political landscape, which reflected in the recent Lok Sabha election, will work in their favour. Gudadhe, a former Jaitala corporator, has also expressed confidence about his win, citing his long-term association with the constituency as well as anti-incumbency sentiments against Fadnavis.

Nagpur South West belongs to one of the six assembly segments that constitute Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency. The 288 assembly segments in Maharashtra will go to polls on November 20.