Devendra Fadnavis BJP’s CM candidate

Mumbai: Just before voting in two states on Wednesday, names of BJP’s probable chief ministerial candidates have emerged. Sources say Devendra Fadnavis is the party’s top choice for Maharashtra.

Captain Abhimanyu and Rao Inderjit Singh are among the frontrunners for Haryana, say sources.

Fadnavis heads the BJP in Maharashtra and reportedly has the backing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah. Sources say the 44-year-old Brahmin leader has an edge over others in the party due to his clean image and wide acceptability. 

He is also seen as a “new-age leader” in BJP’s largely jaded line-up in Maharashtra – a big plus in Modi’s book.

BJP is contesting the Maharashtra polls alone after ending its 25-year alliance with the Shiv Sena. Sources say the party did not want to project a chief ministerial face before this fearing it would dilute a campaign crafted around Narendra Modi and his development pitch.

If it does win – the party claims its internal surveys indicate good prospects – Fadnavis is likely to take over as chief minister. BJP is seen to lack a prominent face in Maharashtra since the death of Gopinath Munde in a car crash in June. Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who addressed some 100 rallies in the state, had denied speculation that he was the chief ministerial pick.

Sources say Fadnavis enjoys another advantage in the eyes of his leadership – he can shift the power balance in Maharashtra, where the party has only a few known faces.
 
Fadnavis is from Nagpur, the base of BJP’s ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. 

In Haryana, another young leader, Captain Abhimanyu, has emerged as the BJP’s number one choice; his name has been floated in several rallies addressed by national leaders. 

The former party spokesperson was reportedly handpicked by Amit Shah for his “mission Uttar Pradesh” during the April-May national election; Captain Abhimanyu focused on western parts of the state that gave BJP its richest haul in the polls.

Captain Abhimanyu, a businessman, quit the army to join politics.