BJP now has two top contenders, Yogi and Devendra

New Delhi: The elevation of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister of Maharashtra has created a tricky situation for the Central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party, as he is set to join the company of his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath as a future contender for the top political job at the Centre. 

Interestingly, both Yogi Adityanath and Devendra Fadnavis are considered to be close to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, the ideological parent of the BJP. And the two have received open support from Sangh when there were plans by a section of leaders in the BJP to sideline them. 

Sources stated that both these leaders control the two most electorally and economically important states of the country, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. 

This is the reason that they may become politically very important in the 2029 Lok Sabha polls and in contention for the top job at the Centre. 

Sources stated that despite their closeness to the RSS, there are top leaders in the BJP who are not likely to be happy with their growth. "The two leaders need to be nurtured properly and as future prospects of the party as they have a mass connect going beyond caste and regional politics. Any designs to undermine them could hurt the BJP's prospects in the long run," sources said. 

Fadnavis' elevation to the CM's post is considered to be an important development for the BJP, as he reclaimed the top political job after the backstabbing by long-time ally Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. 

Fadnavis is considered one of the main architects of the MahaYuti's stunning victory in recent Maharashtra polls.

The Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, secured an unprecedented 230 out of 288 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly polls, with the BJP winning 132, Shiv Sena securing 57, and the NCP taking 41. While the MVA only managed to win 46 seats. 

Maharashtra, one of the biggest states in the country, elects 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha and is a high priority for the BJP due to its political and economic influence. 

And with 80 Lok Sabha seats, Uttar Pradesh has long been one of the biggest contributors to the BJP’s electoral cause.