With the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections 2026 at the doorstep, the country’s financial capital has gone into election mode with the campaigns, messaging, and debates around the elections jamming the media channels. An interview given by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to a news channel is attracting everyone’s attention. In this interview, Devendra Fadnavis spoke openly on issues such as the challenge posed by the Thackeray brothers’ alliance, the role of Marathi voters, whether Mumbai’s mayor will be Marathi, and who is the true face of Mumbai’s development. In many ways, this interview is not just political, but offers glimpses into Devendra Fadnavis’s leadership style, clarity of thought, and decisive personality along with his visions around installing a transparent administration in the country’s richest civic body to propel Mumbai’s civic development and facilities to compete with the best in the world.
Among the 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra going to polls on 15 Jan 2026, the BMC election attracts special attention not just in Mumbai or Maharashtra but nationally as well, due to its role in the well-being of the country’s financial capital. From this perspective this interview of Devendra Fadnavis weighed extra importance because not only did it provide a blueprint of Mumbai’s journey into becoming a world class city in the coming years, but also gave an account of what his government has done for Mumbai. It underlined the issues faced by the average Mumbaikars, their expectations, and how they look at city’s developments, vis-a-vis Devendra Fadnavis’s clear stand on each of these issues with relevant data. One can draw comparison between Devendra Fadnavis’s visions and actions for the development of Mumbai and MMC with that of the person who thinks Mumbai as his personal ground and has been in control of the BMC for many years.
What made this interview more powerful was Devendra Fadnavis’s outspoken manner. No matter how sensitive the question was, such as the challenge of a potential alliance between the Thackeray brothers, the role of Marathi voters, or whether the mayor of Mumbai would be Marathi or Maratha—he addressed them all head on and gave straightforward answers. The interview sent out a message about his homework, preparedness, and confidence. Instead of responding angrily to accusations and remarks made by the opponents, he analyzed them realistically. Instead of rejecting the criticisms outright, his answers accepted if there was truth in them before giving the reasons and the measures taken to address them.
Crucial Projects to accelerate Mumbai Development
Devendra Fadnavis’s clarity of thought was evident in his answers. Discussing Mumbai’s development trajectory, he underlined the past and ongoing projects, and his vision for Mumbai’s future. Answering the question, “Who developed Mumbai?” He cited the infrastructure built in Mumbai by his government, the names of major ongoing projects, and their importance in addressing the present and future needs, for his reply. To answer the question on the speed of execution of projects, he gave the example of Mumbai Metro expansion. In 2014, an 11-kilometer metro line was inaugurated in Mumbai, which took 11 years to complete. However, after 2014, the same metro network began expanding in various parts of Mumbai and MMR. In the 10 years from 2015 to 2025, 90 kilometers of metro lines were commissioned, including India’s first 33-kilometer underground metro. These examples, which are realities and experienced by the Mumbaikars in their daily lives, makes more than a chest-thumping answer and conveys his confidence.
The Marathi vote bank is ours!
When asked, “Who will the Marathi people of Mumbai go with?”, he directly addressed the question in a self-assertive manner. Politicians generally provide hollow answers without giving convincing data in support. However, Devendra Fadnavis firmly stated that the Marathi vote bank largely supported the BJP and made BJP win over 100 seats in three consecutive terms, which will be repeated this time around as well. He gave direct answers like, “The mayor of Mumbai will be from the Mahayuti…,” “The mayor of Mumbai will be Hindu..,” “The mayor of Mumbai will be Marathi…” However, respecting the pride on Marathi identity, Devendraji pointed out that Mumbai is a city of opportunities, and that progress of the city wouldn’t be possible without having a congenial atmosphere for investment and development.
‘Devabhau’ is not a brand, it’s the love given by the people…
On a question about different brands in politics, his prompt reply was that Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray, the Hindu Hriday Samrat, was the only brand. He clarified that other Thackerays, Pawar, Shinde, or even Devabhau were not brands. He declined to accept himself as a brand, saying that whatever Devendra Fadnavis was today, it was because of the party. He said, “today, my face is visible in Maharashtra as the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party; and that is my true identity. People call me Devabhau out of love and affection to me. Devabhau is not a brand.”
He consistently strived and brought about changes…
Speaking on issues faced by the citizens in a large city like Mumbai, Devendra Fadnavis acknowledged some of them and cited the steps taken by his government to overcome them. Giving an example of the increasing traffic jam, which used to paralyse the city at multiple points during the peak hours, he spoke about his government’s success in implementing the “Coastal Road Project,” which was shelved for many decades by the previous governments. Everybody knows it was because of Devendra Fadnavis that this vital project is a reality today. Faced with many roadblocks to the coastal road project, he put out a resolute effort to overcome them to secure the necessary permissions from the environment department and green signal from the central government for the project. Furthermore, he went on to secure the required funding for its implementation. Today, thanks to his resolve, the city of Mumbai is adorned with the beautiful coastal road, easing off the city’s traffic problem to a great extent. Even when the Congress government was both in the center and in the state, the coastal road project was not even attempted. Talking about his government’s infrastructure push, he said that before 2014, MMRDA was underutilized as there were not many development projects. However, after his government came to power, Mumbai and MMR were flooded with high value infrastructure projects implemented by the MMRDA. He ended by saying that, “no problem is solved overnight, but if you persist, you can definitely change it.” This is his perspective that speaks volumes.
Overall, this conversation brought to fore Devendra Fadnavis’s clear thinking, straightforward communication, confidence, and a development-oriented approach, which proved critical in the Mahayuti’s historic win in the BMC election 2026.
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