RSS bhau for Devendra Fadnavis

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has made it unequivocally clear to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership that Devendra Fadnavis must be the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

- S Balakrishnan

The RSS has also left it to Fadnavis to decide how best to politically accommodate the incumbent Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, in the new administration. Fadnavis, who has been a member of the RSS since his school days and resides in Nagpur, the headquarters of the organisation, has long maintained close ties with key figures in the Sangh Parivar.

The RSS, which has typically operated in the background of Indian politics, has grown more assertive recently. This shift in approach followed BJP president J.P. Nadda's remarks a few months ago, stating that the party was no longer entirely dependent on the RSS. In response, the RSS distanced itself from the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, which led to disappointing results. After Nadda issued an apology, the RSS re-entered the political fray, playing a crucial role in campaigns in Haryana and Maharashtra, where it contributed to the BJP's successes in the state assembly elections.

The Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP, was established in 1952 as the political arm of the RSS, and over the decades, the Sangh has significantly influenced the growth of its political counterpart.

However, a growing trust deficit had begun to emerge between the two organisations, particularly highlighted by Nadda's controversial comment.