Maharashtra Elections: I Am The Only Former CM Without A House In Mumbai, Says Fadnavis

Last Updated:November 11, 2024, 11:56 IST

Devendra Fadnavis expressed pride in his Nagpur roots, stating that the city’s landscape has transformed since his government came to power in the state and at the Center

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that people currently address him affectionately as 'Devbhau'. (PTI/File)

The campaign for the assembly elections in Maharashtra is in full swing. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has been winning from the Nagpur South West assembly constituency for five terms, claimed at a public meeting in Nagpur that he is the only former Chief Minister who does not have a house in Mumbai.

“There have been 20 Chief Ministers in the state till date. But among them I am the only former Chief Minister who does not have a house in Mumbai," he said.

Fadnavis further affirmed his pride in being a Nagpurian, stating that the face of Nagpur has changed since his government came to power in the state and the country.

The former Chief Minister stated that people currently address him affectionately as ‘Devbhau’. He added that he has never contemplated his own career path to date. Instead of establishing his own enterprise, he has consistently dedicated himself to serving society.

Attacking the opposition, Fadnavis asserted that the Congress government had suppressed the report of the Lad Page Committee. In contrast, his government, upon implementing the report, delivered justice to the Valmiki, Sudarshan, and Makhiar communities. He further highlighted his government’s establishment of a separate ministry for OBCs and the introduction of various plans for their benefit. Additionally, the Deputy Chief Minister emphasised that 52 hostels were constructed, as the Mahayuti prioritised all communities.

While speaking at a rally at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in support of Mahayuti coalition candidates Atul Save (Aurangabad East), Sanjay Shirsat (Aurangabad West) and Pradip Jaiswal (Aurangabad Central) on Saturday, Fadnavis said, “Vote Jihad" should be countered by “Dharma-yuddha" of vote.

“No one can change the name of this city now. At an AIMIM rally here, someone asked who was Sambhaji Maharaj. Sambhaji Maharaj remained undefeated for nine years. So we have given his name to the city," he said.

The city, earlier known as Aurangabad, was renamed for Sambhaji, the second ruler of the Maratha state after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

“A vote Jihad has begun in the state now. We saw that in the Lok Sabha elections. In Dhule, we were ahead by 1.90 lakh votes but the Malegaon (assembly segment) had 1.94 lakh votes and we were defeated by only 4,000 votes. This vote Jihad was the reason for our defeat there because we were not together," said the BJP leader.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has given the message ‘batenge to katenge’ (divided we perish) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said ‘ek rahenge to safe rahenge’ (united we remain safe), Fadnavis said.

The election is an opportunity to show that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was a saffron fortress, he added.

Devendra Fadnavis has spent 64,136 rupees on his election campaign to date. Meanwhile, Girish Pandav, the Congress candidate from South Nagpur, is leading in election expenses, having spent 6,56,675 rupees. Candidates have submitted the information about the expenses of the first phase to the election administration.

Nagpur, India

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