‘Perform or perish’: Devendra Fadnavis’s mandate to ministers as Maharashtra govt completes one year

Responding to a question on the Gujarat model, during an informal interaction with the media Wednesday, Fadnavis said, “We will not replicate the Gujarat model in Maharashtra. At the end of one year of the government, we will audit the minister’s performance.”

In 2014, when Fadnavis first became CM, he asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi what his expectations were from him. While PM Modi reassured him of the Centre’s support, he said, “Focus on good governance and the welfare of the people.”

Ten years later, in 2024, Fadnavis received the same reassurance from Modi. The mantra was simple: good governance, development and welfare of the people of Maharashtra. Fadnavis has pledged multiple times to combat corruption, promote transparency, and ensure that the benefits of development reach the last person at the last mile.

Fadnavis, who took the oath of office on December 5, 2024, will complete one year of governance in December 2026. At the end of one year, every minister belonging to the ruling parties, the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the NCP, will have to face a performance audit.

However, given the inherent coalition conflicts and constraints, any decision regarding action against poor performers will require collective consent from his deputies Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde and the NCP’s Ajit Pawar.

Course correction

With half a dozen ministers courting controversies for their misconduct over the last ten months, Fadnavis, known as a taskmaster, is expected to undertake some mid-term course corrections to refurbish the image of the government.

Since July, the chief minister, through various forums, including weekly Cabinet meetings, has issued stern warnings to Cabinet colleagues to keep a check on their language and conduct. He has also issued the warning: “perform or perish”.

Fadnavis established targets of 100 days and 150 days for each department. Consequently, the progress across various parameters has been reviewed department-wise to determine individual contributions.

Unlike in Gujarat, where CM Bhupendra Patel’s government has completed three years, the Maharashtra government will complete just one year in December 2025. Unlike in Gujarat, where the BJP is the single ruling party, the Maharashtra BJP has to accommodate two alliance partners. This only means that Fadnavis will have to exercise his authority with consent and in consultations with alliance partners.

Earlier, at a meeting held in Mumbai last week, state BJP president Ravindra Chavan categorically said ministers who fail to perform will perish.

A senior party functionary present at the meeting revealed, “Chavan told BJP ministers their performance was closely monitored on many fronts. And in local body elections, they will have to deliver results. Their continuation in posts will be determined by their performance.”

According to sources, Chavan pointed out that ministers’ work in their assigned districts and regions will be thoroughly reviewed. From the completion of government schemes, projects, mobilising funds, and coordination with local party units will be monitored.

He also warned ministers to work as a team, setting aside personal differences within the organisation, and noted that “party was above person”.

A BJP minister requesting anonymity said, “In our party, every individual minister is subjected to monitoring at multiple levels. When it comes to administration, it is the CM keeping a watch. The state and Central BJP leadership believe that ministers should use their power for both organisational growth and maximising people outreach through projects, welfare schemes… So, the performance is not a one-time certificate. Every task assigned is evaluated. At the end, if any of the BJP ministers is found failing, the party is definitely going to show them the exit door.”

Many within the party say that by setting certain standards, Fadnavis cannot be seen cracking the whip only on his own party. As the head of state, he will have to insist that the same rules apply to ministers from Shiv Sena and NCP too.

Conduct of ministers in past 10 months

In the past ten months, the Fadnavis government has faced major embarrassment primarily due to the misconduct of the Sena, NCP, and some of his own ministers. According to BJP insiders, “The directives from the Centre are clear. If anybody has done any wrong, crack the whip.”

However, coalition complexities, coupled with local body polls and the short tenure of the government (less than a year), have so far held back Fadnavis from initiating immediate steps against troublemakers and non-performers.

Those who know Fadnavis’s working style revealed that he gives everybody a chance. But if somebody continues making mistakes and tests his patience, they are not going to be spared. The coalition pressure cannot be a pretext to shield non-performing ministers in government, said a source.

Fadnavis has made it clear that he cannot compromise the Mahayuti’s image, which has been damaged due to some ministers’ uncharitable remarks and public conduct.

Mahayuti faced a major setback in March when NCP minister Dhananjay Munde was forced to step down after his close aide Walmik Karad was accused of being involved in the murder of Massajog Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.

Even after that, the NCP and Sena ministers have found themselves at the Centre of controversies. To begin with, a video purportedly showing Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat with a bag of cash surfaced, leading to attacks from the Opposition. Shirsat’s son Siddhant was also in the dock after Fadnavis himself ordered a probe into the sale of a hotel in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar connected to him.

Another Sena minister, Yogesh Kadam, has been accused of being involved in illegal sand trading and operating dance bars in his mother’s name, while ministers like Sanjay Rathod and Dadaji Bhuse (both from the Sena) have been accused of discrepancies in recruitment processes and transfers concerning their demands.

NCP’s minister Manikrao Kokate left the government red-faced for his “beggar” jibe and was later seen playing a game of rummy on his phone in the Assembly during the Monsoon Session.

In February, Kokate was convicted by a Nashik district court for forgery and illegally acquiring two flats. He subsequently challenged the verdict, which stayed his conviction.

A senior bureaucrat in the CMO said, “The CM had issued a loud and clear message to bureaucrats also. In his very first meeting after taking charge as CM, he had said he wanted results. The administration should be transparent and accountable to the people. And if there are any issues, they should bring them to his notice right now. As any excuse will not be considered.”

With an absolute majority, Mahayuti was politically stable. This provided the biggest advantage to the administration and ruling parties, enabling them to take bold decisions and enforce them within the timeline.

Keeping these aspects in sight, Fadnavis went for a full-fledged Cabinet. The objective was good governance.

The state can have a maximum of 43 ministers in its council, and it currently has 42. The BJP has 20 ministers, while Shiv Sena and NCP have 12 and 10 ministers, respectively.