It’s ‘wait and watch’ for Fadnavis to make ‘mi punha yein’ true

With the future of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government uncertain, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader in Maharashtra, and two-time former chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis is being strategic and weighing every move.

After Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde rebelled throwing Maharashtra politics into tailspin, the 51-year-old BJP veteran from Vidarbha, who is the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra State Assembly, rushed to New Delhi on Tuesday to meet with BJP national president J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. On his return to Mumbai on Wednesday, Fadnavis met with senior BJP leaders at his official bungalow ‘Sagar’ in Malabar Hill.

Among those who met Fadnavis include two union ministers, MSME minister Narayan Rane and Minister of State for Railway Raosaheb Patil-Danve.

Fissures in MVA appeared when all the candidates from Maharashtra that the BJP fielded in the elections to the Rajya Sabha, and the Maharashtra Legislative Council, won in nail-biting finishes, despite odds and lofty promises by the MVA.

Also read: Uddhav offers to step down as Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena chief

Fadnavis’ catchphrase “mi punha yein” (I will come back again) became popular during his campaign for the 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections.

However, his dream of becoming Chief Minister for the third time was shattered when BJP’s ally of three decades Shiv Sena parted ways with it and formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government along with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Indian National Congress.

Although he attempted to form a government with Ajit Pawar—who is now the state’s Deputy Chief Minister—it lasted for just 80 hours.

Ever since Uddhav Thackeray took over as Maharashtra Chief Minister, Fadnavis has spared no chance to target the Thackeray-Pawar duo and the MVA.

In a TV show that he appeared on with his banker wife Amruta, Fadnavis said: “I used to say, “mi punha yein”…however, some people threw spanner in the wheel…But let me tell you “mi punha yein”…I will come again, and for sure.”

This was on May 1, but Shiv Sena did not read too much into it.

Quietly, Fadnavis started planning for the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council polls and presented additional candidates, and secured their win.

Now with the developments in constant flux, Fadnavis’s next course of action will depend on what happens next in the state politics.