The choice of the party for the big job was evident when Modi credited Fadnavis as being the ‘ideal MLA’ and a national asset

Upfront about his association with the Hindu nationalist organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Maharashtra Chief Minister-elect Devendra Fadnavis said he owes “his values” to the organisation. In an interview to The Hindu hours before his formal election by his party legislators he said, “I believe, there cannot be any better values than the ones taught by the RSS. Contrary to what people say [implying criticism], anyone who imbibes the values of the RSS will do good work.”

It became evident that he was the choice of the party for the big job when Prime Minister Narendra Modi lavished praise on him at an election rally in Nagpur — crediting him as being the ‘ideal MLA’ and a national asset.

The setting for Mr. Modi’s comments was also symbolic — Nagpur is the headquarters of the RSS, and gives Maharashtra its first BJP Chief Minister.

“I imbibed the quality of nationalism from the RSS — integrity and the sentiment of ‘nation first.’ What else can be more important than that,” Mr. Fadnavis said.

Vajpayee is his political idol

Though Maharashtra Chief Minister-elect Devendra Fadnavis has credited the RSS for his “inspiration” and “values,” much of the moulding was done at home. His father, Gangadharrao Fadnavis, was a prominent RSS pracharak and a Jan Sangh member.

Mr. Fadnavis says his father taught him the art of building and maintaining “good relations.” “Even after his death, those relations are still intact,” he said.

Though his father was his personal idol, Mr. Fadnavis’ political idol was none other than the former BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“He [Mr. Vajpayee] is a person who gave you the feeling that he wouldn’t ever do anything that was wrong.”

Mr. Fadnavis himself boasts a hard-working character, is known to stay calm in torrid times and has exceptional oratory skills — a point acknowledged by even his opponents.

Noting his contribution in the Assembly, Speaker Dilip Walse Patil had remarked that with Mr. Fadnavis becoming an MLA, the country had lost a great lawyer.