Maharashtra Chief Minister-elect Devendra Fadnavis.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: An astute politician with ears to the ground and eyes on the horizon, 54-year-old Devendra Fadnavis is set to become the 31st Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Soft-spoken and well-educated, he is a no-nonsense administrator.
Over a decade’s time, Fadnavis has emerged as one of the most trusted and reliable team members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his aide and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The BJP leader with a 'Mr Clean' image and a face of 'Common Man' - has surpassed many stalwarts in Maharashtra politics.
Fadnavis, who is the architect of the MahaYuti-NDA landslide victory, would be sworn in as the CM on Thursday evening at a grand ceremony at the historic Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
On Wednesday, Fadnavis was unanimously elected as the BJP legislature party (LP) leader.
Fadnavis runs an alliance with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP besides over a dozen smaller parties.
There were jokes and memes on his assertion "me punha yin" (I will come back again) - but now he has proved that he is a comeback man.
In the run-up to the 2014 Assembly polls, Modi had said "Desh me Narendra, Pradesh me Devendra" and Shah has described him as the "current and future" CM of Maharashtra.
Deva Bhau or Devendra ji, as he is popularly known, is a rare brand of politicians who is both intellectual and popular with the masses.
Hailing from Nagpur, the six-term MLA, has the full backing of the RSS.
A Brahmin in the Maratha-dominated politics of the state, he has carved a niche for himself.
A second-generation politician, his father, Gangadhar Rao Fadnavis, was an MLC from Nagpur and his mother, Sarita Fadnavis, was the Director of Vidarbha Housing Credit Society.
Born in the year 22nd July 1970, Fadnavis holds a Graduate Degree in Law from Nagpur University, a Post postgraduate degree in Business Management and a Diploma in Methods and Techniques of Project Management from D.S.E. Berlin.
He started off as an elected member of the Municipal Corporation of Nagpur for two consecutive terms, in 1992 and 1997. He has the distinction of being the second youngest Mayor ever in India when he served as the Mayor of Nagpur.
Fadanvis's wife Amruta works with the Axis Bank and they have a daughter, Divija.
He is a foodie, loves music and films and keenly follows sports, current affairs and international affairs.
Maharashtra Assembly poll 2024 results | Check constituency results here
Jharkhand Assembly poll 2024 results | Check constituency results here
Bypoll 2024 results | Check Karnataka results here
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls took place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP went up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress tried to make their mark. Maha Yuti are currently comfortably poised to win. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faced a challenge after Hemant Soren's arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP, but look set to retain power with its I.N.D.I.A. allies. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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