Mumbai, Dec 5 : From a back-bencher in the school to Maharashtra Chief Minister for the third time, Devendra Fadnavis has come a long way weathering all odds.

Undeterred by Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray’s move to break the alliance, later settling down at the Deputy Chief Minister’s post in the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led MahaYuti government and BJP’s dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections, Fadnavis as a loyal and committed party soldier and RSS activist stayed cool and charted party’s victory in the state assembly election.

His rise from a booth-level worker to a corporator in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation to the Chief Minister is meteoric. This was possible due to solid hard work, foresight and strong confidence in converting a crisis into an opportunity.

Born on July 22, 1970, in a middle-class family from Maharastra's second capital Nagpur, he got lessons in politics from his father and former legislator Gangadharrao Fadnavis who was an active Jan Sangh activist. His mother Sarita played a crucial role in his upbringing.

Since his college days, Fadnavis was associated with the RSS and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad apart from his association with various social organisations.

In 1992 Fadnavis at the age of 22 years entered into electoral politics and became a corporator. In 1997, he was elected as one of the youngest mayors of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation. Considering his dedication and administrative capabilities, the BJP gave him a lot of opportunities to stamp his mark in politics.