As the campaigning for the Maharashtra Assembly elections ends, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who seemed to have gone from strength to strength in the last five years, says politically he is now more mature.
Fadnavis, 49, is the only second chief minister of Maharashtra to complete a full term after Congress' Vasantrao Naik. The BJP has projected him as its CM face in the current campaign.
"When you face challenges, they teach you a lot. I learnt political maturity. I am more mature than I was in 2014," Fadnavis said in a free-wheeling discussion with reporters on Friday night ahead of October 21 assembly polls.
"Whatever agenda you set for yourself..every morning throws up new challenges and problems. I learnt that while tackling new challenge, I must not give up my focus on what I have decided to do," he said.
The Shiv Sena, the BJP's often-bickering ally, too has become mature, Fadnavis said.
"Political reality determines what decisions need to be made. We (the Sena and BJP) had to come together. In future too, we may not agree on a host of issues," he said.
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"One section of the BJP wanted to fight these polls separately as we could have formed the government on our own. But the Central leadership and I myself felt we should form alliance with our friends," he said.
"What happened in 2014 (when Sena and BJP fought separately) was unfortunate. Both BJP and Sena have learnt from that episode. We can't repeat what happened in 2014," he added.
He also said, to a question, that he was not averse to having a deputy chief minister in the next term. " May be. There would not be a problem," he said.
Some Shiv Sena leaders had projected the party's youth wing chief Aaditya Thackeray as the next deputy CM. Aaditya is making his electoral debut from Worli seat in Mumbai.
Asked about the possibility of a fresh tussle with the Sena over ministerial berths after the elections, Fadnavis said, "All speculation about the longevity of our ties have been proved wrong by us. We are two separate parties and it is natural for each of us to feel that we should be the senior partner. But last five years have taught us that coordination is important and I am sure we would handle the situation well in the coming days and years."
Asked how he handled the Sena, which often lambasted the BJP-led Union government as well as the state government despite being partner in both in the last five years, Fadnavis said, "Patience is the key."
To the question if the BJP has given up its old demand of separate statehood for Vidarbha, Fadnavis, once an ardent proponent of the proposal, said, "Demand for Vidarbha state is the BJP's principled stand. The party feels there should be smaller states. But when to take decision on this is upto the Central leadership."