Fadnavis govt set to turn 1: Infra, investment push and alliance balancing act take centrestage
Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena, had won 235 seats in the 288-member House of Representatives in the November 2024 assembly polls; its leaders called it “a clear and strong mandate for development policies.” Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister on December 5, but the delay in government formation has raised eyebrows.
The delay was marked by intense speculation about whether Eknath Shinde would get a second chance to become CM; The Shiv Sena leader was not willing to be part of the government if he could not get the top job. The oath-taking ceremony of the ministers took place on December 15, ten days after Fadnavis took oath and on the eve of the first (winter) session of the new parliament in Nagpur.
The first challenge was the fallout from the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh on December 9, when the arrest of the main accused Walmik Karad, a close aide of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde, had the Opposition up in arms. Under constant pressure and amid national outrage over videos showing Deshmukh being tortured, Munde left the cabinet in March this year, citing health reasons.
Ruling alliance leaders have routinely claimed that the Fadnavis government is working with “speed, transparency and coordination” and has “reset the pace of infrastructure construction”, citing metro rail projects in Mumbai, Pune and Thane, coastal road, trans port link and mega Vadhavan port.
Mahayuti is working to position Maharashtra as India’s leading investment destination at a time of intense global competition for capital, one of the ruling alliance leaders said.
Although Mahayuti has repeatedly tried to underline unity, with the prime minister and his deputies stating that the government is “working with full coordination despite speculation”, political observers noted that managing a three-party alliance with different constituencies and leadership centers remains a challenge.
There were allegations of corruption and malfeasance against some Shiv Sena ministers and MLAs; The Pune land deal, involving a firm in which Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s son Parth is a partner, has given the Opposition more ammunition. The sale deed had to be canceled and an FIR was registered, but Opposition parties criticized the absence of Parth’s name there.
The sale of a Jain Trust property in Pune to a developer has put Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol in the Opposition’s crosshairs, but he has denied any involvement in the matter. This deal was also canceled after the developer backed out following protests from the community.
The opposition also criticized the Fadnavis government for not announcing farm loan waiver and not increasing monthly financial assistance for Ladki Bahin Yojana beneficiaries despite making such a promise during the assembly poll campaign.
Activist Manoj Jarange’s hunger strike in south Mumbai in the last week of August resulted in the state government accepting many of his demands for the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates, which would give quota benefits to the Maratha community under the OBC segment.
However, it aroused strong opposition from Other Backward Classes, forcing the government to perform a delicate balancing act by setting up a cabinet sub-committee, just as it had done for the Maratha quota.
Amid speculation of internal strife, all three ruling parties announced that work was progressing together and smoothly. But last month, Shiv Sena ministers skipped the cabinet meeting when state BJP president Ravindra Chavan inducted functionaries of the Shinde-led party and other bastions of the deputy CM in Kalyan-Dombivali.
As the government enters its second year, leaders said the focus will be on pushing large-scale infrastructure towards completion, deepening rural outreach and improving the ease of doing business.
The opposition, meanwhile, has vowed to intensify scrutiny, setting the stage for a politically active year in Maharashtra.
