Fadnavis for BJP chief? Pros & cons of 'national role' for the party's master strategist

A Marathi news portal reported on Thursday that Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was likely to be appointed as the national president of BJP, replacing JP Nadda.

However, the report was later withdrawn after BJP functionaries dismissed it.

Although there is no official confirmation about Fadnavis's elevation to national politics, grapevine from the BJP indicates that he is among the leaders being considered as a successor to Nadda, whose term as the party chief is ending soon.

Sources in the BJP said that while Fadnavis aspires to join national politics in the long run, he currently wants to remain active in state affairs.

On the other hand, discussions are underway about whether removing Fadnavis from Maharashtra would help placate Maratha agitators.

Fadnavis has been a constant target of Manoj Jarange Patil, who leads the Maratha reservation agitation.

Recently, Patil urged his supporters to ensure the defeat of BJP candidates in the upcoming assembly polls.

Patil's animosity towards Fadnavis stems from an incident last year when the Jalna police lathicharged agitators. Fadnavis is also the state home minister.

The police team had gone to end Patil's fast but was met with violent resistance.

The BJP's defeat in Marathwada and Western Maharashtra during the Lok Sabha polls was partly due to Maratha voters' anger towards the party.

Some within the BJP believe that sending Fadnavis to New Delhi could mitigate this hostility.

In addition to placating the Marathas, removing Fadnavis from state politics could potentially ease tensions with political adversaries like Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.

Both have blamed Fadnavis for rebellions within their respective parties.

Some BJP leaders believe that in Fadnavis's absence, it would be easier to communicate and negotiate with these leaders.

However, a faction within the party argues that sending Fadnavis to Delhi would be a strategic misstep.

After Nitin Gadkari, Fadnavis is the most prominent BJP leader in Maharashtra.

Under his leadership, the party returned to power in 2014 after a two-decade gap, and the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won the 2019 assembly elections. (It is a different story that Uddhav Thackeray parted ways and formed government with Congress and NCP)

Fadnavis is known as a master strategist with a deep understanding of state politics. Replacing him before the assembly polls could be a risky move by the BJP.

Additionally, there is also fear that Fadnavis's departure from Maharashtra could portray him as an escapist.

Last Wednesday, Uddhav Thackeray remarked that only he or Fadnavis would remain in Maharashtra politics.

With the aggressive posture and boosted confidence of the MVA constituents after the Lok Sabha elections, the upcoming assembly elections will be challenging for the BJP. In such a scenario, Fadnavis leaving the state might not send the right signals.