Fast, but never furious: Devendra Fadnavis, a class favourite | Mumbai News

From student activism to his role as a corporator in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Fadnavis honed his skills in public relations and honed his understanding of public matters.

NAGPUR: The story of Devendra Fadnavis‘s climb to political stardom contains elements of luck and patronage, but it is more about persistence, discipline and instinct. His father Gangadharrao Fadnavis was a BJP MLC and an active member of the Jan Sangh, but Fadnavis had to work his way up from shakhas to student activism.
It is said that his understanding of political messaging was precocious. There is an oft-told story about how he refused to continue at the Indira Convent School because his father was jailed during the Emergency imposed by then PM Indira Gandhi. He then shifted to Saraswati Vidyalaya to complete his SSC.

Old classmates remember him as a lively person, who was everyone’s favourite. His classmate, Nikhil Mundle, remembers him as a ‘disciplined’ boy. “We are second-generation friends, our fathers were childhood buddies. Devendra was everybody’s friend. He was disciplined, never broke rules, always jovial, and had a unique ability to gel with different types.”
Ravleen Khurana, an entrepreneur, remembers the CM from his varsity days where they would meet in inter-collegiate events. “Once we were competing in a debate. Though Fadnavis was an opponent, I asked him for some points for my speech and he suggested a few. I won the debate by leading with those points,” he recalled.
Fadnavis studied law but never practised as he was involved with ABVP’s activities. This helped him network across Sangh outfits.
At 22, Fadnavis entered Nagpur Municipal Corporation as a corporator. It was a learning ground for him as it taught him what mattered to the public and how to execute work efficiently. From cajoling bureaucrats to taking them to task on the floor of the house, he honed management skills and public relations outreach. At 27, he became the youngest mayor of Nagpur in 1997.
In 1999, Fadnavis won assembly polls on debut. The legislative floor provided him a bigger playing field and he got cracking, scrutinising documents and exposing govt’s shortcomings. He could dissect the state budget and pick out the most relevant parts to pin down the govt. The speeches were less rhetoric and more facts. This talent was noticed by BJP’s Gopinath Munde.
It was around then that a photographer friend asked him to model. A friend, Vivek Ranade, said, “He was camera-shy at first but determined. Over 100 photos were shot with 6-7 costume changes. Eight hoardings were put up in Nagpur.” Friends say then PM Vajpayee once referred to him as the “model MLA”.
Fadnavis’s ability to analyse and retain vast amounts of data has stayed with him. He could dissect the state budget, scan through reams of papers and pick out the most relevant parts to pin down the govt. That’s why his speeches are less rhetoric and more facts.