Victory for Fadnavis

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday lived up to the BJP’s poster boy image as the party managed to put up a neck-and-neck fight with ally Shiv Sena in Mumbai.

With favourable results in his maiden electoral test, Fadnavis has strengthened his position in the party in Maharashtra.

The chief minister attributed the victory to BJP’s “transparent politics and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. BJP national president Amit Shah congratulated Fadnavis on the “unprecedented success”.

The BJP is now set to “nail” Shiva Sena’s acerbic campaign against its government in the state and the Centre.

The party leaders said their decision to go it alone proved right and the result will strengthen their political call to charter an independent course to contain a recalcitrant ally in Maharastra.  
Though state BJP leaders said that the Sena and BJP will share power in BMC, the central leadership hinted that it will flaunt its new-found strength to humble the coalition partner even if it joins hands at the civic level as it did after the Assembly polls.