Fadnavis or Shinde: Who Will Wear the Crown in Maharashtra?

In the unpredictable world of politics, five months can change the game entirely, and Devendra Fadnavis is living proof of that. In June, the Maharashtra BJP leader offered to resign, shouldering the blame for his party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Now fast forward to November, and Fadnavis is once again at the heart of the action, emerging as a key figure in the BJP-led Mahayuti's strong performance in the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

But the question on everyone’s mind now is who will take the top job: Fadnavis or Eknath Shinde?

As the results roll in, the BJP-led Mahayuti is leading in 220 of the 288 Assembly seats, a commanding position compared to the Maha Vikas Aghadi's 57 seats. Fadnavis has comfortably held onto his Nagpur South West seat, while Shinde maintains a strong lead in his constituency of Kopri-Pachpakhadi. With Mahayuti poised for an impressive win, the question on everyone’s mind is who will take the chief minister’s post.

Devendra Fadnavis has been widely credited for playing a pivotal role in this success. His hands-on approach to campaigning, his ability to bring rebels back into the fold, and his tireless efforts on the ground were key to the BJP’s performance.

"Fadnavis ran a campaign for the ages," said Ankit Jain on X, applauding his efforts to deliver the best seat-sharing deal and fend off vicious smear campaigns. Many political analysts, including Rajdeep Sardesai, now consider Fadnavis the front-runner for the CM post.

However, the question of who will be the next CM remains uncertain. The early consensus within the Mahayuti camp seemed to favor Shinde, but that has begun to shift. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said earlier this month that the decision on the chief minister would be made collectively by the alliance partners after the elections. "At present, Eknath Shinde is the Chief Minister, but after the elections, all three alliance partners will decide," Shah stated on November 10.

Despite Shinde's strong showing and his leadership of the Shiv Sena, Fadnavis’s strong performance has made him a formidable contender. The BJP's results were remarkable, with the party leading in 124 of the 149 seats it contested, an impressive strike rate of 83%. Fadnavis’s strategic campaigning, particularly in consolidating Hindu votes, played a key role in the BJP’s success.

Shinde, meanwhile, has proven himself to be a capable leader, securing a strong performance for the Shiv Sena with 55 leads out of the 81 seats the party contested, a strike rate of 81%. His "Ladki Bahin Yojana" (a women-centric scheme) was seen as a game-changer, helping to secure the women’s vote and overshadowing the promises made by the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

It’s worth noting that Fadnavis had initially been slated to be Maharashtra’s chief minister after Shinde’s dramatic split from Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, which led to the fall of the MVA government. However, Fadnavis had deferred to Shinde, allowing him to take the top post. Now, with the BJP’s resounding performance in the elections, calls for Fadnavis to take the reins as chief minister are growing louder.

Some, like Aadit Kapadia, argue that with the BJP securing over 85 seats, Fadnavis should naturally be the next CM. Others, such as political commentator Kishore K. Swamy, praised Fadnavis for being a genuine politician who didn’t rely on external power brokers or media gimmicks. "Devendra Fadnavis is finally back as CM of Maharashtra. That’s a real politician," Swamy remarked.

As the final results are tallied, one thing is clear: the choice of the next Chief Minister is far from settled. Will the Mahayuti alliance back Fadnavis, or will Shinde retain his post? Maharashtra is inevitabely bracing for the next chapter in this high-stakes political drama.