Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is the likely candidate to replace former Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu. It is said to be a political promotion for Fadnavis which can be read as a reward for his convincing performance as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and party leader. Apart from Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Fadnavis is the only chief minister who is part of the BJP’s top decision making body chaired by party national president Amit Shah. The other 12 members in the board are BJP top leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Fadnavis is one of the best-performing chief ministers of the BJP according to the party president Amit Shah and the party sees him as a national leader. The BJP leaders have also taken into consideration the role played by Fadnavis in anchoring the BJP’s relationship with its volatile partner Shiv Sena. Fadnavis is also popular for handling challenges like the farmers’ agitation and protest for Maratha reservation. Under the leadership of Fadnavis, BJP has taken over almost all important local bodies in the state in different elections.
If Fadnavis is shifted to the capital then the Chief Ministership of Maharashtra may go in favour of Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil. Reports say that Devendra Fadnavis may take charge of the Defence Ministry which is now handled by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as an additional charge after Manohar Parikkar resigned as Defence Minister to become the Chief Minister of Goa. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is impressed by the work done by Fadnavis in Maharashtra and his clean image and RSS connection is an added advantage for Fadnavis to become the Defence Minister. There are people who feel that the move to bring Fadnavis to the centre is a demotion and not a promotion. Political analysts feel that the growing popularity of Fadnavis is a kind of threat for the Prime Minister himself.
