‘Main samandar hoon’: Devendra Fadnavis makes good on his 2019 comeback promise

December 2019. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis resigned as Maharashtra Chief Minister after just four days in power due to shifting of alliances. Facing his former ally Uddhav Thackeray, Fadnavis quoted a famous couplet and promised a comeback. Five years later, he made good on his promise.
The Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, Ajit Pawar’s NCP, and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, has won 54 seats and leading on 174 others by 3 pm. The BJP is close to bagging 130 seats, up from 105 in 2019.
With BJP and Mahayuti’s massive victory nearly in sight, Devendra Fadnavis’ speech in the Maharashtra Assembly in 2019 has gone viral on social media.
A war of words had erupted between Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray. The two, who were allied during the 2019 polls, found themselves on opposite ends after the fight for Chief Minister’s chair broke the BJP-Shiv Sena pact.
Fadnavis, who had just been appointed the Leader of Opposition in the House, promised, “Mi punha yein (I will come back again)”.
“Mera paani utarte dekh kinare par ghar mat bana lena, main samandar hoon, laut kar vapis aaunga ((Thinking the tide has ebbed, don’t you dare build your house on the coast; for I am the sea, and I will come back),” Fadnavis said, quoting a famous couplet.
The clip of Fadnavis’ 2019 speech went viral as BJP and its allies edged closer to clinching Maharashtra. Several social media users shared the quote and lauded Devendra Fadnavis for the poll victory.
One person wrote, “Devendra fadnavis said main samandar hu laut ke aaunga and today he will prove it. Very happy for this man. Those who deserves will get it.”
Another wrote, “Devendra Fadnavis is back with a big bang! Mera Paani utarta dekh, mere kinare par ghar mat basa lena, Mai Samandar hoon laut kar wapis aaunga.”
Several people shared the clip and called Devendra Fadnavis’ 2024 assembly poll victory a “great comeback”.
At the time of publishing this story, Devendra Fadnavis was leading on Nagpur South West seat by a margin of 27,386 votes.