Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday described the state as a leading business hub and the driving force behind India’s economy.
“We are back, and we are back with a bang,” he declared at the CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Awards (IBLA) in Mumbai on Saturday.
The newly re-elected CM thanked the people of Maharashtra for their mandate to the Mahayuti coalition, which he described as not only unprecedented but also a significant responsibility to contribute to the Indian economy.
Reflecting on the electoral win, Fadnavis said the massive landslide victory was unexpected.
“We didn’t anticipate such an overwhelming victory in Maharashtra. The landslide result exceeded our expectations. Our schemes and fulfillment of promises led to this success. Maharashtra embraced the PM’s message ‘Ek hai toh safe hai,’ which worked like magic in the elections,” Fadnavis remarked.
The chief minister expressed confidence that Maharashtra could become India’s first trillion-dollar sub-economy. He highlighted that, in the first half of the fiscal year, Maharashtra received 52% of the total FDI inflows in India.
He noted that Karnataka had overtaken Maharashtra when the BJP lost the state government, but emphasized that Maharashtra’s distinct advantage lies in Mumbai being part of the state. “While other states like Gujarat have their own strengths, Maharashtra is unique because Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra,” he said.
At the Mumbai event, Fadnavis revealed plans to create an entirely new area dedicated to business development.
“We recently inaugurated Atal Setu, which connects Mumbai to Navi Mumbai. We are now developing a third Mumbai near Navi Mumbai, which will be three times larger than Mumbai. This will become India’s next business capital,” he said.
Fadnavis assured that Maharashtra presents enormous opportunities for investment and business, adding that the process will become even more hassle-free. “We are here to support businesses,” he affirmed.
The CM emphasized Maharashtra’s leadership among Indian states, particularly in attracting FDI. He noted that the state has already achieved 90% of its FDI target for the first six months.
“This will be a record year for FDI,” he declared confidently.
Speaking about infrastructure development, Fadnavis said Maharashtra is leading with projects like the Vadhavan Port, which will be one of the largest ports in India and is expected to transform the country’s maritime economy. He also recalled that PM Narendra Modi announced the creation of Mumbai’s third airport at Vadhavan Port.