Devendra Fadnavis Wins Maharashtra CM Race, But Tough Challenges Will Make Governance A Thorny Path
Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra on 5 December. Several BJP and NDA leaders, including PM Modi, were present.
Devendra Fadnavis News: Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday, December 5, after a long wait of five years. Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered the oath of office and secrecy to him at the historic Azad Maidan in Mumbai at a star-studded event.
Devendra Fadnavis, after his five-day stint as CM in November 2019, had said that he would return; and returned he has with unprecedented numbers in favour of the BJP. However, his third stint in office would not be free of challenges. He now has short-term as well as long-term challenges in front of him.
Fadnavis's Short-Term Challenges
Allocation Of Ministries
His immediate hurdle will be the allocation of ministries to his party leaders and those in the alliance parties. If sources are to be believed, the BJP will keep 17 portfolios. Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena has reportedly demanded at least 12 and Ajit Pawar's NCP wants 8-10. However, the key portfolios, such as Home, Revenue, and Urban Development, have been demanded by Eknath Shinde, while the BJP doesn't want to part with these. It will be a hard bargain for Fadnavis as the 11 uncertain days showed that Shinde is not one to simply roll over.
BMC Elections
Wit Uddhav Thackeray biting the dust in the assembly elections, the Shiv Sena-UBT chief's entire focus will now be on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. BMC is the richest municipal corporation in the country. Its budget is more than that of many smaller states. The Shiv Sena has been in control of it for a long time; and defeating Uddhav Thackeray's faction will be a big challenge for Fadnavis's BJP.
The undivided Shiv Sena emerged as the largest party in the 2017 municipal elections. It was followed by the BJP. Before this election, Devendra Fadnavis will have to strike a balance with the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and Ajit Pawar. With Shinde being relegated to the post of Deputy CM, dissatisfaction is already brewing in the Shiv Sena. If the Home Ministry is denied to him, the Mahayuti could face a tough time in the BMC polls.
Fadnavis's Long-Term Challenges
Good Governance
Devendra Fadnavis's first term as Chief Minister was considered quite striking. When he completed his stint from 2014 to 2019, he became only the second person in Maharashtra's history after Vasantrao Naik to have stayed in office for a full five-year term.
During this time, he took several major decisions. He had launched the Jalyukt Shivar Yojana to provide water to farmers in Maharashtra throughout the year and a Rs 55,000-crore expressway project to connect Mumbai and Nagpur. He also approved the expansion of the Metro network in Mumbai.
In his third term, too, he will have to spend a considerable amount on development projects in Maharashtra. However, Fadnavis will be walking on thin ice, considering the massive Rs 7.82-lakh crore debt. The Mahayuti's pre-election doles have burdened the state with a liability of another Rs 90,000 crore.
Maratha Reservation
Maratha reservation would be the trickiest challenge to manoeuvre for the Fadnavis government. While activist and face of the Maratha quota protest Manoj Jarange Patil was promised during the elections that Maratha reservation would be implemented, the BJP has repeatedly assured the OBC and SC/ST communities that their quotas won't be touched. Thus, it now remains to be seen, how Fadnavis handles the Maratha Kunbi reservation.
Election Promises And Fiscal Burden
The Ladki Bahin Yojana played a key role in the victory of the Mahayuati. Under this scheme, women aged 21 to 65 years, whose family's annual income is less than Rs 2.5 lakh, were being given Rs 1,500 every month. Now the amount under this scheme has been hiked to Rs 2,100.
This scheme alone could cost the Maharashtra government around Rs 45,000 crore till March 2025. After that, it is likely to cost the exchequer Rs 63,000 crore annually and that's a moderate estimate at the current number of beneficiaries. The actual figure can go well above this. The Mahayuti seems to have realised this and hence, called for practising "financial discipline" immediately after the win.
Additionally, government schemes like those of skill development, food subsidies, girls' education, LPG subsidies, and electricity subsidies for farmers will cost the exchequer another Rs 10,000-crore.
Farmers' Demands
Fadnavis will have to negotiate farmers' demands for MSP on key produce like onion, sugarcane, soybean, cotton, and grapes. Farmers are already upset over not getting the right price for these crops. The BJP had to suffer due to the ban on onion exports during the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP, in fact, lost 12 seats in onion-producing regions.
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