Maharashtra elections 2024 | Devendra Fadnavis: Architect of BJP’s Maharashtra triumph, yet awaiting the crown

Illustration/Uday Mohite

The Bharatiya Janata Party's finest moment in Maharashtra's electoral politics is also an individual triumph for former chief minister and current deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who has led his party to a 100+ tally for a third successive election. However, the two-time CM has to wait to see if the top job that eluded him in June 2022, when he was asked to be deputy to Eknath Shinde, will be his despite the dream win that has strengthened his position.

The Mahayuti recorded a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, with the BJP bettering its own record of the 2014 contest, when the nation was swept up by the Narendra Modi wave. The BJP won 132 seats. Its allies Shiv Sena (Shinde) - which won 57 seats - and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) - which won 41 seats - also outdid their own expectations.

Along with smaller allies, the combine had won or was leading in 233 out of 288 seats. The MVA was demolished, with the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray winning 20, Congress 16 and NCP-Sharad Pawar 10. Others and independents mopped up the remaining nine seats.

Fadnavis on top

There was hardly any disagreement in political circles that all credit to the BJP's achievement goes to Fadnavis, who has now led his party to more than 100 seats for the third consecutive time. BJP's 132 seats (out of 149 it contested) shades the 105 it won in 2019 and even the 122 it had won in 2014.

With Fadnavis leading BJP to a 100-plus tally for a 3rd election, it is likely he will get the top job again. It remains to be seen how power will be shared with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP. Pic/Shadab Khan

However, the two-time CM remains modest. Fadnavis, who was the main target of the opposition's campaign, said on Sunday, "When a single person is targeted, people understand why it is being done. Our track record is good, and people prefer such leaders. We are a modern-day Abhimanyu. We have broken the [opposition's] chakravyuh."

Asked who the Mahayuti's CM will be, he said, "Our party's Parliamentary board, and the chiefs of the Sena (Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) will decide that. The decision will be accepted by all of us." His statement came even as the party's cadre and newly elected legislators rooted for ‘Deva Bhau' as the CM.

"I'm just a small party worker, who is backed by the top leadership and workers. Credit should go to them. My share is very little," he said. Sources told mid-day that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which worked hard for five months to reverse the Lok Sabha trend in Maharashtra, prefers Fadnavis as the next CM.

What clicked

While the Mahayuti attributed the victory to its development work, welfare schemes and PM Modi's ‘Ek hain toh safe hain' appeal, the MVA said the verdict was unexpected. The opposition's showing was so poor that the state assembly will not have a Leader of the Opposition (LoP) as no party outside the ruling combine was able to get the mandatory minimum of 29 seats.

Rebels' impact minimal

Contrary to expectations, the election did not throw up many rebel winners. Even smaller parties like the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and the Parivartan Mahashakti front were unable to make any inroads. In fact, Mahashakti's leader Bacchu Kadu, who expressed hopes of joining the government on Friday, lost from Achalpur. A thorough analysis will be required to establish their roles as vote cutters, if any.

Introspection and course correction

Learning a lesson from the Lok Sabha debacle, the Mahayuti got to work soon after. It introspected and identified grey areas in the opposition's campaign, including the ‘Save Constitution' narrative that propelled the MVA to a new high in the Parliamentary elections.

The BJP took the lead to propagate a counter-narrative, thanks to the RSS' groundwork and active participation in executing the poll management plan. The ruling combine also borrowed Madhya Pradesh's successful direct cash benefit programme for women, "Ladki Bahin". It was announced in the budget, and implemented efficiently to transfer money to bank accounts of eligible women voters.

Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar worked in tandem to expand the outreach by launching Ladki Bahin in many district headquarters. Resourceful Shinde, and Pawar, who reworked his image with the help of a professional agency, pulled all stops to woo voters. In addition, the BJP held over 1,700 meetings with women beneficiaries. The government also utilised a one-month delay in the announcement of elections to reach voters with welfare programmes.

The Maratha quota protest, which had threatened to hurt BJP's prospects in Marathwada, fizzled out just ahead of the elections, but not before creating unrest among the Other Backward Castes (OBC). The BJP wooed them with economic development corporations.

All gone for MVA

For the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), everything seemed to have gone wrong once the results started coming in. Following the alliance's Lok Sabha success, their egos clashed, cohesion was missing, and their campaign line did not click a second time.

State Congress President Nana Patole and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray could not agree on seat-sharing, delaying the alliance's preparations. They criticised the Mahayuti's Ladki Bahin Yojna, but soon announced a clone with a promise of doubling the entitlement amount for women.

Real Sena, NCP

The voters' overwhelming verdict also put to an end, for now, the argument over who the real Shiv Sena and NCP are. Shinde and Ajit Pawar, who have already won the cases in the Election Commission and are awaiting the Supreme Court's ruling, can be elated that they have proven their ‘genuineness' in the people's court.

BJP strengthens grip over Mumbai

Borivli
Sanjay Upadhyay, BJP
Won by 1,00,257

Dahisar
MANISHA CHAUDHARY, BJP
Won by 44,329

Magathane
Prakash Surve, SS (Shinde)
Won by 58,164

Mulund
Mihir Kotecha, BJP
Won by 90,032

Vikhroli
Sunil Raut, SS (UBT)
Won by 15,526

Bhandup West
ASHOK PATIL, SS (Shinde)
Won by 6,764

Jogeshwari East
Anant Nar, SS (UBT)
Won by 1,541

Dindoshi
Sunil Waman Prabhu, SS (UBT)
Won by 6,182

Kandivli East
Atul Bhatkhalkar, BJP
Won by 83,593

Charkop
Yogesh Sagar, BJP
Won by 91,154

Malad West
Aslam Shaikh, Cong
Won by 6,227

Goregaon
VIDYA THAKUR, BJP
Won by 23,600

Versova
Haroon Khan, SS (UBT)
Won by 1,600

Andheri West
Ameet Satam, BJP
Won by 19,599

Andheri East
MURJI PATEL, SS (Shinde)
Won by 25,486

Vile Parle
Parag Alavani, BJP
Won by 54,935

Chandivali
Dilip Lande, SS (Shinde)
Won by 20,625

Ghatkopar West
RAM KADAM, BJP
Won by 12,971

Ghatkopar East
Parag Shah, BJP
Won by 34,999

Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar
Abu Asim Azmi, SP
Won by 12,753

Anushakti Nagar
Sana Malik, NCP (Ajit Pawar)
Won by 3,378

Chembur
TUKARAM KATE, SS (Shinde)
Won by 10,711

Kurla
Mangesh Kudalkar, SS (Shinde)
Won by 4,187

Kalina
Sanjay Potnis, SS (UBT)
Won by 5,008

Bandra East
VARUN SARDESAI, SS (UBT)
Won by 11,365

Bandra West
Ashish Shelar, BJP
Won by 19,131

Dharavi
Jyoti Gaikwad, Cong
Won by 23,459

Sion Koliwada
R Tamil Selvan, BJP
Won by 7,895

Wadala
Kalidas Kolambkar, BJP
Won by 24,973

Mahim
MAHESH SAWANT, SS (UBT)
Won by 1,316

Worli
AAditya Thackeray, SS (UBT)
Won by 8,801

Sewri
Ajay Choudhari, SS (UBT)
Won by 7,140

Byculla
Manoj Jamsutkar, SS (UBT)
Won by 31,361

Malabar Hill
Mangal Prabhat Lodha, BJP
Won by 68,019

Mumbadevi
AMIN PATEL, Cong
Won by 34,844

Colaba
Rahul Narvekar, BJP
Won by 48,581