Who is 'Amit Shah' of Devendra Fadnavis? A look at Maharashtra CM's inner circle

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has a coterie of trusted individuals who help him run the show behind the scenes. (Courtesy: PTI photo)

Recently, during a talk show, a political journalist was asked: "If Amit Shah is the man Friday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who holds that role for Devendra Fadnavis?" After a moment of thought, the journalist replied, "There is no Amit Shah for Fadnavis, but there are a few people close to that role". Unlike Modi, Fadnavis has a coterie of trusted individuals who help him run the show behind the scenes. Let's take a closer look at Fadnavis' inner circle.

Girish Mahajan

An MLA for 30 years, Girish Mahajan is one of the most trusted lieutenants of Fadnavis and is often seen as his troubleshooter. Before the swearing-in ceremony, when Deputy CM Eknath Shinde was reportedly unhappy about being denied the Home portfolio and uncertain about joining the government, Mahajan intervened to placate him on Fadnavis' behalf.

Mahajan served as a minister during Fadnavis' previous tenure as Chief Minister, as well as in the MVA government, holding key portfolios such as rural development, water resources, and medical education. His political career began with the BJP’s student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, and he has remained undefeated in the Jamner Vidhan Sabha seat since 1995.

Pravin Darekar

Pravin Darekar's proximity to Fadnavis is evident from his meteoric rise within the BJP, despite joining the party only five years ago. He was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Parishad. Darekar's political journey has been eventful; he started with the Shiv Sena but left in 2006 to join Raj Thackeray's MNS. He won the Magathane Vidhan Sabha seat and became an MLA for the first time. Although he lost his re-election bid in 2014, he joined the BJP and was elected to the upper house of the state legislature in 2016 and again in 2022.

Darekar's proximity to Fadnavis became evident when the Mumbai Co-operative Bank, led by Darekar, was allotted a prime plot in Mumbai. He is vocal in his support for Fadnavis and is often seen defending and praising him on television debates.

Prasad Lad

Prasad Lad's closeness to Fadnavis can be gauged by the fact that, just a year after joining the BJP in 2017, he was chosen as the party's candidate for the MLC elections, bypassing several senior leaders. Previously a leader in the NCP, Lad unsuccessfully contested two elections before winning his MLC seat in 2017, reportedly with cross-votes from NCP and Congress MLAs allegedly managed by the BJP. He was re-elected as an MLC in 2022.

Lad recently faced criticism from Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil for his statements in support of Fadnavis. Lad defended Fadnavis and warned Patil against making derogatory comments, challenging him to enter politics himself. Apart from politics, Lad is a businessman with interests in various service industries and serves as the president of the BEST Kamgar Sangathana union.

Mohit Kamboj

Before 2012, Mohit Kamboj was often in news for his legal troubles, however, his fortunes took a turn after he joined the BJP that year. Although he was previously embroiled in a multi-crore bank fraud case, the CBI filed a closure report in his case which was like giving him a clean chit. Since then, Kamboj has risen rapidly within the BJP. In 2013, he became the vice-president of the Mumbai BJP unit, and in 2014, he contested the Dindoshi Vidhan Sabha seat, albeit unsuccessfully.

Kamboj has grown closer to Fadnavis over the years. When Eknath Shinde rebelled against the Shiv Sena, Kamboj was seen accompanying the rebel MLAs to Gujarat and Assam. During the MVA regime, he frequently targeted Uddhav Thackeray on social media.

While these individuals form part of Fadnavis' trusted inner circle, none of them quite fit the role of "Amit Shah" as the Union Home Minister does for PM Modi.