MUMBAI: Stressing that Devendra Fadnavis will stay put in Maharashtra, state BJP president Chandrakant Bawankule has attempted to lay to rest speculations that erupted after the former’s appointment last week as a member of the BJP’s central election committee, which said the Maharashtra deputy chief minister may soon make an exit from the state politics to reach Delhi.
Bawankule clarified on Sunday that there is no truth in speculations that Fadnavis is going to join Delhi politics. “Devendra Fadnavis will soon become the chief minister of the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra. He is a visionary leader and Maharashtra needs him,” Bawankule said.
Speculations about Fadnavis’ move gathered steam when some organisations wrote a letter to BJP’s national president JP Nadda, asking him to field the Maharashtra leader as the party’s Lok Sabha candidate from Pune.
In the letter, it was stated that Fadnavis is the man who will carry forward the legacy of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi and that he has all potential to lead India as well.
“We do not support any political party, but extend all support to the person who has vision for the country. Devendra Fadnavis is one of the leaders in top leadership of the BJP who can lead the party and country as well. We urge the BJP leadership that Devendra Fadnavis should be fielded from Pune Lok Sabha constituency because it is one of the safest seats for him,” the letter stated.
Sources say that the move to drop Union minister Nitin Gadkari from the BJP’s parliamentary board and include Fadnavis in its central elections committee shows the end of the former’s career and entry of another Nagpur leader in Delhi politics.
“Devendra Fadnvis is very close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, therefore he has a future. After his appointment of deputy chief minister instead of CM, it was said that he has been cut to size. But this recent appointment changes the perspective. One can see that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath has not been given the place while Fadnavis has got it,” a senior BJP leader said, requesting anonymity.
“So it is also one kind of a checkmate to Yogi. Fadnavis’ stature is bigger than that of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister and he has a bright future as well,” he added.