State scan: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis up against Maratha challenge

With virtually no help from the opposition or the Shiv Sena, Fadnavis is trying to turn the crisis into an opportunity by seeking to reach out to the Maratha community every which way

There is talk that when the Maratha reservation agitation turned violent more than a fortnight ago, BJP President Amit Shah rang Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, asking him to ensure that no police firing took place while dealing with the situation.

There is no way to confirm this, but the way the embattled chief minister is facing the first major crisis in his nearly four-year-old government signals caution.

With his statements on the issue creating controversy some time ago, Fadnavis has turned humble. When violence broke out, he initially appeared to be out of his depth in facing the biggest