‘An able administrator and visionary’: Why RSS will back Devendra Fadnavis to become Maharashtra CM
The BJP has emerged as the single-largest party in Maharashtra, winning 132 out of 288 seats, making Devendra Fadnavis the frontrunner to lead the government.
3 min read
BJP workers are raising pressure on party leaders to appoint Devendra Fadnavis as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. (File)The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is likely to back BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to become the chief minister of Maharashtra after the Mahayuti alliance retained power in a sweeping win in the Assembly elections.
A source said, “Generally, the RSS never interferes with the BJP’s decision-making.” Yet, at times, it subtly conveys the message by listing its priorities while keeping the larger welfare of the state and country in mind.
A senior RSS/BJP functionary, requesting anonymity, said, “The RSS’s concern is that Maharashtra, with such a massive mandate now, should have an able administrator and visionary who can lead the state with a firm hand.”
The BJP has emerged as the single largest party in Maharashtra, winning 132 out of 288 seats. This has led to strong sentiments within the BJP cadre, suggesting that the party should stake a claim for the chief minister’s position, with Fadnavis being the most likely candidate for the role.
With its significant tally, party leaders believe that Fadnavis is positioned to take the lead from Eknath Shinde of its coalition partner Shiv Sena in the state. Shinde’s Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar, secured 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
After the Lok Sabha poll setback – the BJP was reduced to nine seats from 23 in 2019 – Fadnavis approached the RSS seeking help to counter the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) narrative that the BJP was against Constitution and stop the Opposition parties’ alleged consolidation of vote banks on caste and religious lines. Fadnavis himself had flagged the anxiety by coining “vote jihad”, a term to denote the alleged consolidation of Muslim votes against BJP candidates during Lok Sabha elections.
Accordingly, the RSS, the BJP’s ideological fount headquartered in Nagpur, took up the responsibility and deployed its workers to create awareness among the masses.
Earlier, Fadnavis himself had said, “All decisions related to government formation will be taken by the central leadership in consultation with Shiv Sena and the NCP. It will be a collective decision acceptable to all.”
While Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar have pledged their support to the BJP-led government, they are likely to push for a strong bargaining position. A faction within the Shiv Sena still hopes Shinde will continue as the chief minister.
However, BJP workers are raising pressure on party leaders to appoint Devendra Fadnavis as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
You May Like
Photos
