Nagpur-2014: THE POWER SHIFT


* The year 2014 saw BJP sweeping Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly polls, and Nagpur in particular and Vidarbha in general getting their long-deserved share in political power in the Centre as well as in the State
* Devendra Fadnavis became the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra from Nagpur, and Nitin Gadkari got a powerful position in the four-member Core Group of BJP at national level apart from becoming Union Minister with several portfolios
By Kartik Lokhande 
It is never too late. The wait of Nagpur in particular and Vidarbha region in general for political power was over in the year 2014. With the city and the region playing a strong role in emergence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power, both got their due share in the power in the Centre as well as in Maharashtra. Of course, substantial share in power to the long-waiting region will go a long way in consolidating the position of BJP further.
The ‘power shift’ could be sensed well before Lok Sabha elections. Nitin Gadkari and Devendra Fadnavis sowed the seeds of BJP’s spectacular success in the region during their tenures as BJP National President and State President respectively. Gadkari built up Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency too well and he reaped the sweet harvest. Gadkari defeated Congress stalwart and multiple-term MP Vilas Muttemwar with a very huge margin almost around three lakh votes in Lok Sabha elections.
Gadkari ensured not only his victory from Nagpur but also ally Shiv Sena candidate Krupal Tumane’s victory from Ramtek constituency. Tumane rode high on the wave and defeated another Congress stalwart and former Union Minister Mukul Wasnik.
Apart from campaigning for himself, Gadkari also campaigned for party candidates from other Lok Sabha constituencies in Vidarbha. And, BJP-Sena alliance created history by sweeping all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Vidarbha for the first time. Soon after, Gadkari assumed a powerful position in four-member Core Group of BJP at national level. He was also made Union Minister with important portfolios like Road Transport and Shipping. Later on, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inducted Chandrapur MP Hansraj Ahir also in the Union Cabinet as Minister of State. Thus, Vidarbha got two important berths in Central Government.

Published in The Hitavada CityLine on January 1, 2015

Narendra Modi, BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate, also campaigned hard in Vidarbha region and his charisma yielded extremely positive results for BJP throughout the year. Modi also kept his word and visited Nagpur after becoming Prime Minister, and launched several important developmental projects including the most ambitious Nagpur Metro Railway project. In the same programme, Modi hinted that Devendra Fadnavis would be BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections. Modi called Fadnavis ‘gift of Nagpur to Maharashtra’.
Fadnavis also campaigned with missionary zeal during Assembly elections. Being State President of BJP, he took up a whirlwind tour of entire State and campaigned for other candidates of the party. Though the long-term ally Shiv Sena parted ways with BJP, Fadnavis responded to the challenge of BJP contesting alone after a long gap of 25 years, with aplomb. In Maharashtra, BJP emerged as the single largest party.
In Vidarbha, of a total 62 seats, BJP recorded its best-ever performance by winning as many as 44 seats. In Nagpur district, of a total 12 Assembly constituencies, BJP bagged 11. The only seat BJP lost to Congress was Saoner, where BJP candidate Sonba Musale’s candidature got rejected during scrutiny by the administration, and there was no BJP candidate in the fray at the last moment. Congress’ tally was reduced to only 10, Shiv Sena could win only four seats, and NCP won a seat, and three seats went to others. After initial problems, Shiv Sena came to terms with BJP to become a partner in the Government again at the time of expansion of State Cabinet.
With such a stupendous performance and BJP’s emphasis on encouraging young leadership, Devendra Fadnavis became Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He created history by becoming the first Chief Minister from BJP in Maharashtra, and also becoming the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra from Nagpur. And, how much the people from Nagpur loved him was visible on his maiden arrival in the city after swearing-in as Chief Minister. The party, which won total 122 seats in Maharashtra, recognised the key role by Vidarbha region where it won 44 seats.
Vidarbha region got its deserving share of importance in State Cabinet, led by Fadnavis with key portfolios of Home and Urban Development apart from others. Apart from Fadnavis at the helm of affairs, it has got seven other ministers (including Sanjay Rathod of Shiv Sena) and all of them have got key portfolios. These include Cabinet ministers Sudhir Mungantiwar (Finance and Forests), Chandrashekhar Bawankule (Energy), Rajkumar Badole (Social Justice), and Ministers of State namely Dr Ranjit Patil (Home and Urban Development), Pravin Potey (Industries and Mining, Environment), Sanjay Rathod (Revenue), and Ambarish Atram (Tribal Development).
Truly, 2014 proved to be the year of ‘power shift’ to Nagpur and Vidarbha.
The impact of consolidation of BJP was very visible during winter session of State Legislature held in the city in December. Led from the front by Fadnavis, BJP and Shiv Sena faced the Opposition effectively throughout the session.
As 2014 ends and new year 2015 begins, Nagpur and Vidarbha expect the ‘power shift’ to ensure a new era of development.

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