Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has entered the list of the state’s longest-serving Chief Ministers by overtaking Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar in terms of cumulative days in office.
With his current tenure continuing, Fadnavis completed 2,430 days as Chief Minister on July 12, 2026, moving past Pawar’s combined tenure of 2,412 days across four separate terms. The latest milestone places him third on Maharashtra’s all-time list of longest-serving Chief Ministers.
Only former Chief Ministers Vasantrao Naik and Vilasrao Deshmukh have held the state’s top post for a longer period. Naik remains the longest-serving Chief Minister in Maharashtra’s history with 4,096 days in office, while Deshmukh occupies the second position with 2,686 days.
The comparison between Fadnavis and Pawar is notable because of the different nature of their political tenures. Although Pawar occupied the Chief Minister’s chair on four occasions, none of his terms lasted a full five years. Fadnavis, in contrast, completed an uninterrupted five-year term between 2014 and 2019 during his first stint as Chief Minister.
His second term in November 2019 lasted only six days amid dramatic political developments in the state, while his third and current tenure has crossed 585 days and continues to add to his overall tally. The revised rankings of Maharashtra’s longest-serving Chief Ministers now place Vasantrao Naik at the top with 4,096 days, followed by Vilasrao Deshmukh with 2,686 days, Devendra Fadnavis with 2,430 days and Sharad Pawar with 2,412 days.
Born in Nagpur on July 22, 1970, Fadnavis comes from a family with deep political roots. His father, Gangadhar Fadnavis, served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, while his aunt Shobhatai Fadnavis was elected to the Assembly multiple times.
Associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh from a young age, Fadnavis began his political journey through the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad during his student years. After completing his law degree from Nagpur University in 1992, he entered electoral politics through the Nagpur Municipal Corporation.
He served two terms as a corporator before becoming one of the youngest mayors of Nagpur. From working as a grassroots BJP functionary at the booth level to leading Maharashtra as Chief Minister, Fadnavis’ political rise is regarded as one of the state’s most prominent examples of organisational growth within the party structure.
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