“During the election process, it hurt us deeply, the way the Opposition targeted Devendraji, the kind of foul language that was used for him. But, Devendraji came out of it and rose to become Chief Minister of Maharashtra. We witnessed this moment at Mumbai and it filled me with joy when he was sworn-in as Chief Minister in presence of all who’s who of the country. I shall cherish this moment forever” expressed Dr Sharad Ranade, father-in-law of Devendra Fadnavis, the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Dr Ranade is father of Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Devendra Fadnavis. “Bharatiya Janata Party and Mahayuti in general fell a bit short of achieving its target in Lok Sabha elections this year. We, too, were a bit sad.

 

The news reports came that Devendraji would be called to Delhi to handle organisational responsibility. We did not know much about what was going on as Devendraji never discusses politics with us. Later on, we found that all were rumours and we heaved a sigh of relief,” said Dr Ranade, an Ophthalmologist by profession. Dr Ranade is aware of the fact that he is father-in-law of a person who is at the helm of Maharashtra politics. Fadnavis played a major role in ensuring victory not only of his own party but also of the constituents of Mahayuti. What was the reaction of Dr Ranade during the suspense around the name of Devendra Fadnavis as to whether he would become Chief Minister or not? The results of Assembly polls were declared on November 23. Suddenly, the discussions on Chief Ministership came to a standstill at party level.

 

A lot of rumours were doing the rounds. “It was a tense moment. Everytime we used to read in the news or watch on YouTube, we came to know several new angles and a kind of suspense was created. Since Devendraji never discusses politics with us, we too did not ask him. But I spoke to Amruta, who too told me that she did not know about the future development,” Dr Ranade made it clear. “Devendraji is very humble, obedient, modest. He respects elders and never argues. We always feel soothing when we meet him. His biggest assets are his quietness, tolerance. It is his studious approach that put him on top. He reads a lot and studies every aspect,” revealed Dr Ranade. Devendra Fadnavis remained focussed throughout his life which made him look different than others. Dr Ranade spoke about him with a lot of admiration. “One thing I can say about him that whatever he got was not very easy for anyone. But he deserved to become Chief Minister of the State like Maharashtra. During his last tenure, he brought a lot of development not only in Vidarbha but in Maharashtra too. I am confident that in next five years, he will transform our State completely,” remarked Dr Ranade.