“The BMC must be transparent and citizens shall have the right to complain against the civic body. We will provide 24-hour water supply, pothole-free roads, stable property tax for five years and citizen smart cards for every Mumbaikar” this was the poll promise made by Devendra Fadnavis to all voters in Mumbai.
He was apparently being ridiculed by other parties for his promise of 24-hour water supply and housing for all in Mumbai by 2022. But looks like the people who ridiculed him are pushed to the corner by the masses who have by now known only leaders who have gained vote banks through unsavoury comments and mocking the opposition.
As the BMC and the other municipal elections in the state clearly show, Devendra Fadnavis has been able to cater votes from across communities like Marathas, North Indians, Gujaratis and Christians and has not succumbed to community politics, a very common thing with Maharashtra elections.
It was due to the visionary leadership of Fadnavis and the hard work done by the Government in last 2 years that the BJP refused to take the initial 60 seats offered to them by Shiv Sena eventually winning 82 seats in BMC.
Devendra Fadnavis did extensive research across cities cutting across all communities in the society which led him to formulate exclusive strategies for every corporation thus enabling the BJP to win 8 out of the 10 municipal bodies in the state. One wonders how the state which was always the strong bastion for the Pawars & Thackerays has suddenly made inroads for this young man from Nagpur.
Even in BJP, there are heavyweight stalwarts like Eknath Khadse, Vinod Tawde, Pankaja Munde were side-lined for making inroads for this 44-year-old leader from Nagpur.
“Devendra is Nagpur’s gift to the country, ” Narendra Modi had once commented in an election rally which clearly shows the culture of a cadre based party like BJP who choose their leaders on the basis of hard work and honesty. Apart from defeating the big names Fadnavis also has the credit of being the second Brahmin Chief Minister after Manohar Joshi in a state which is typically dominated by Maratha politicians. His phenomenal rise to the top has always come with the criticism that he has been selected for the top job for his RSS pedigree and not due to his political and people management skills. Even his party members doubted that how could a clean, non-abrasive leader will lead the BJP to glory in Maharashtra. But Modi knew that along with his young age which helps to attract the youth his apparent cool image catering to all communities in the state was a major factor which will enable to fight the Sena on its own turf.
The BJP has played second fiddle to Sena for the last 2 decades in the state, but not anymore due to the immense labour Devendra Fadnavis has given on his part. Let’s look at a couple of works done by Fadnavis highlighting his pro-development and pro-people image among the masses:-
- Jal Yukt Shivar Yojna: – With the rise in the number of farmer suicides especially across the Vidarbha region, the government launched the micro irrigation programme in an attempt to make the state drought-free by 2019.
- Digitisation of Government Services: -Maharashtra Government has identified 224 basic government services under the Right to Services Act, of which 42 are available via the government’s website bringing more transparency and ease of burden for the common people.
- Action against corrupt politicians: -Devendra Fadnavis ordered the Anti-corruption bureau for probe against heavyweight politicians like Ajit Pawar, Chaggan Bhujbal and Sunil Tatkare which has raised his image as an honest CM who delivers what he promises.
- Ease of Doing Business: – Devendra Fadnavis has cut the clearance process required by the Government to set up an industry from 75 to 25 making the state an attractive destination for ease of doing Business. Moreover, Maharashtra received the biggest Foreign Direct Investment in recent years via Foxconn of Taiwan, all leading to more jobs for the masses.
- Mumbai Next Initiative: -To boost infrastructure and overall development government has launched the ‘Mumbai Next Initiative’ to make the city a global Financial Centre and Entertainment hub. These projects can go a long way in bringing global companies and thus generating employment for the state.
Just 3 years back Devendra Fadnavis was a regional name unknown to many in his party outside Maharashtra. Today he is one of the jewels in Team Modi which has led BJP to many successes in the state. Hope Maharashtra and Fadnavis can be a gleaming example for BJP leaders across the country, especially for states where they are still trying to get a foothold.