Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has set a new political milestone by becoming the third longest-serving Chief Minister in the state's history, surpassing the cumulative tenure of Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar. As of July 12, 2026, Fadnavis has served a cumulative total of approximately 6 years and 7 months across his three stints in the top post, amounting to 2,430 days.
With this, he has overtaken Sharad Pawar, who served as Chief Minister for approximately 6 years and 221 days (2,412 days). While Sharad Pawar held the office of Chief Minister on four separate occasions, he did not complete a full five-year term during any of those tenures. In contrast, Devendra Fadnavis has been sworn in three times, completing a full five-year term during his first stint (2014-2019). His second tenure lasted for six days, and his third and current term is ongoing, having completed 585 days as of July 12.
According to historical records of the state's leadership, the list of Maharashtra's longest-serving Chief Ministers is now led by Vasantrao Naik, who served for 11 years and 78 days (4,096 days). He is followed by Vilasrao Deshmukh, who held the post for approximately 7 years and 129 days (2,686 days). Fadnavis now occupies the third spot, with his current tenure still counting toward his total.
Born on July 22, 1970, into a middle-class family in Nagpur, Fadnavis holds a graduate degree in law, a postgraduate degree in business management, and a diploma in project management. Fadnavis began his political career in 1992 when he was elected as a councillor in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, serving two consecutive terms. Subsequently, he has been elected as an MLA for five consecutive terms.
From 2014 to 2019, Fadnavis served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, becoming the second-youngest Chief Minister in the state's history after Sharad Pawar. In addition to his role as Chief Minister, Fadnavis held key portfolios, including Home, General Administration, IT, Urban Development, Law and Judiciary, Ports, and Information & Public Relations. During his tenure as Chief Minister, he spearheaded several flagship projects and initiatives, such as Mumbai Next, the Police Digitisation Project, the Samruddhi Expressway, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Krishi Sanman Scheme.
Fadnavis briefly held the Chief Minister's post for five days during the 2019 Maharashtra political crisis. This occurred after the Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, formed a government with the Congress and the then-united Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), breaking its longstanding alliance with the BJP.
The 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Election proved to be a historic win for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which secured a landslide victory with 235 seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 132 seats. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
