Devendra Fadnavis interview: ‘BJP largest party, will contest more seats… But does not mean we will stake claim to CM chair’

What is your assessment of the ground situation in Maharashtra?

Almost all PM Modi rallies have drawn huge, responsive crowds. This indicates that the BJP is firm and holding its ground. It is a fact that this time there is a new permutation and combination, with three parties each in the ruling alliance and the Opposition.

Fadnavis participates in a public meeting with BJP supporters in Mumbai North Central constituency at Sakinaka on 12 May 2024. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

Were there coordination problems among the Mahayuti parties?

Initially, when the NCP led by Ajit Pawar became part of our alliance there was simmering discontent amongst the BJP workers, especially in west Maharashtra as our party had always treated the NCP as its political rival. We devoted the next two months to explaining to our cadre the reason for aligning with the NCP. Eventually, we succeeded.

How did the alliance with Ajit Pawar help the BJP?

Sharad Pawar is a force to reckon with in Maharashtra. It is not about how many seats his party wins or what his electoral base is. He represents Opposition unity. In such a scenario, if people from his party willingly join us, especially at a time when attempts to isolate the BJP are underway, it conveys a strong message politically that is beneficial.

Bringing aboard new allies, does that not betray the BJP’s lack of confidence?

Not at all. The BJP is confident. In any election, there are two aspects: political chemistry and political arithmetic. While political chemistry was on our side, we wanted to doubly ensure there was no shortfall when it came to political arithmetic. With an experienced leader like Sharad Pawar going all out to get arithmetic right, despite the lack of chemistry, we could not remain mute spectators.

How did being in government after the split in the Shiv Sena in 2022 help the BJP?

We stood to gain. Being in government what you deliver through governance helps earn public goodwill. We delivered results. Our focus was development. When individuals travel through Atal Setu, Coastal Road, or the metro, he or she looks at the work done.

Will this three-party coalition prove to be a burden in the long run?

When you run a government it has to be strong and decisive; decision-making should be fast. In a single-party government, all these aspects become easier. We have to reconcile to the fact that coalition politics is a reality in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Maharashtra.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis along with Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar sharing dais for ‘Shasan Aplya Dari’ progam of state government. (Express Photo by Pavan Khengre)

You advocated an alliance with the Shiv Sena and shared cordial relations with Uddhav Thackeray …

I always advocated an alliance with the Shiv Sena and ensured they got maximum seats and candidates elected in the 2019 elections. Then what happened post-polls is now a thing of the past. Much water has flown under the bridge. I won’t say the Centre was against the alliance but I succeeded in convincing them of an alliance in 2019.

Will any unrest against the BJP’s Mahayuti allies affect the party’s poll performance?

I don’t think so. The BJP’s ability to transfer the votes will help the alliance. Even if BJP karyakartas are unhappy with certain candidates they will speak about it but they will never disown their alliance. On the other hand, the BJP never expected 100% vote transfer from alliance partners for its candidates. With Sharad Pawar and Thackeray retaining some vote share, even the Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP have not received the entire vote share from the parent party.

The BJP is accused of engineering a split in the Pawar family as it could not defeat Sharad Pawar …

It is baseless. Ajit Pawar decided to field Sunetra Pawar from Baramati. The BJP had no role in it. On the contrary, the BJP started its preparations more than two years ago. We had given the green signal to Harshvardhan Patil. During seat-sharing discussions, Ajit Pawar insisted on Baramati, which was quite natural. Similarly, it was natural for CM Eknath Shinde to seek the Thane seat that happens to be his home turf.

When it comes to breaking parties or families, Sharad Pawar is considered an expert. When he did, it was seen as a masterstroke. He was called ‘Chanakya’.

What do you have to say about Sharad Pawar and his relevance in Maharashtra politics?

Sharad Pawar ji will always be relevant in Maharashtra politics. The reason is that he understands the politics of Maharashtra. He is the most senior and active leader to understand that kind of politics. So he will be relevant. And he understands what to do when and where. In the INDI Alliance, ultimately he is the director. Actors can be someone from the Congress or Uddhav ji. But the director is Sharad Pawar.

You once termed the alliance with the Shiv Sena an emotional bond. Is the alliance with the NCP a contract?

With the Shiv Sena, we had a long association that culminated in an emotional bond. So, when we talk about alliance with the Shiv Sena (led by Shinde) it is an emotional bond. In the case of the NCP led by Ajit Pawar, it is a political alliance. It will take 10-12 years for us to develop an emotional bond with the NCP.

Will the BJP play the role of a big brother in the Assembly polls?

Definitely. With 115 seats in the Assembly, the BJP is the largest party. Even if we were to add up the tallies of the Shiv Sena and the NCP, the BJP is way ahead. Therefore, we will contest more seats than our allies. But that does not mean the BJP will stake a claim to CM’s chair. The decision on who will be the CM will be taken by our parliamentary board in consultation with our allies.

Was it a mistake to level accusations against Ajit Pawar in 2014 in the irrigation scam case and against Praful Patel about his alleged links with gangster Iqbal Mirchi?

All the allegations that I levelled were proved right. Action was taken in connection with all the matters that I raised. FIRs were registered in those matters, chargesheets were filed, and some people were even convicted. I am satisfied that due to this, all the norms were corrected. The corrupt practices were stopped and all the new rules and regulations were put in place in the tendering process.

The second point is we made allegations against Ajit Pawar because he was the head of that department. So it was obvious to hold him responsible. In these 13-14 years, agencies probed everything. But in none of the chargesheets, the agencies accused him (Ajit) of directly having any role. Ultimately, we have to go by the agencies and their investigations.

In the cases of the Konkan region, an agency even stated in one of the chargesheets, “We are still examining the role of Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare.” Finally, they did not find it. So It means that in none of the chargesheets, their name was mentioned.

The NDA won 41 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra in 2019 and has set an overall target of 400-plus for the alliance this time. By how much can you increase your tally?

We are only trying to ensure that we do not win less than what we already have. This time, we will win more seats in Bengal. Odisha is adding, Telangana is adding … all the southern states are adding. So, there are many additions. And when we say that we are going to get less, then it is only a matter of one or two seats.

At present, Uddhav Thackeray is holding a lot of rallies and targeting the BJP. What is your response to his speeches?

The kind of appeasement of minorities, the Muslim community, that Uddhav Thackeray is doing, even the Congress never did such appeasement. Uddhav Thackeray is trying to compensate for falling vote share with Muslim votes.

Imagine what would have happened had Pakistan’s flag appeared at the rally of Balasaheb Thackeray. At his (Uddhav) rally, Pakistan flags are visible. It is not only green flags but the actual flag of Pakistan. And he is mum about it. Pro-Tipu Sultan slogans are being raised but he is not uttering a word. He has realised he can cover up for a deficit of votes in this election by minority appeasement.

Why aren’t Shiv Sainiks deserting him then?

Those who are with him right now are loyal to him. But they will not remain with him after this election. He deviated from Hindutva and now a minority (community) will reward him for abandoning Hindutva.

What is your assessment of the effect the Maratha agitation may have in this election?

The Maratha reservation issue will have some effect in a few constituencies. But what I find disturbing is the kind of caste conflict that has started in some constituencies of Marathwada. Two communities that have been living together are now standing against each other. It is something that harms the social fabric of Maharashtra. I think after the elections, we need to be very vigilant, socially and from the point of view of law and order, in some of the districts.

Could you have handled the Maratha issue differently?

Whatever had to be done was done. We can satisfy a community but not the politics. Also, it is very difficult to stop those who wish to politically benefit by destabilising communities.

GST and unemployment are among the talking points across Maharashtra. There is also some resentment about the onion export ban.

Some leaders are trying to create such a narrative during the elections. They said fertiliser rates had increased. But there was no such increase. They are making videos and circulating them on WhatsApp. There is no GST on 90% of agricultural products. Globally, fertiliser prices have skyrocketed. In India, prices have not been increased, even with GST. Instead, the subsidy on it has risen.

But it is a fact that due to the Russia-Ukraine war and the global geopolitical situation, there has been an effect on the price of agricultural products. Similarly, there was an effect on cotton and soybean. But it was stabilised.