Made for the media: Amruta Fadnavis is a perfect political wife

The latest post on Amruta Fadnavis’ Facebook page is one you would expect of a social media savvy woman, whose husband has been elected to the second youngest chief minister of Maharashtra. It has a picture of her flashing the victory sign, while side-hugging her husband. The message with the picture goes like this: “Congratulations Devendra for being the second youngest CM. The real test begins now. Your service to the state begins from Day 1. Best luck.” Soon after Fadnavis was elected as the state’s CM, his wife, who works as a senior Vice President in Axis Bank came under the spotlight. Curiosity about Fadnavis’ life outside politics reached a peak after it was announced that he had PM Modi’s backing and was hand picked by him to lead Maharashtra. Understandably thus, the media left no opportunity to get a soundbite or two from his wife. [caption id=“attachment_1781677” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Amruta Fadnavis with Devendra Fadnavis and daughter Divija. Image courtesy: Amruta’s FB page.[/caption] Amruta, for her part, seems to be playing the part of the CM designate’s wife to the hilt. In fact, her social media accounts tell the story of a woman conversant with the latest tools of public relations and using the same to reap the most rewards. Her Facebook page, followed by more than 10,000 people, has a healthy mix of pictures that offers glimpses of the Fadnavis’ personal life and their engagements with political bigwigs like Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah. Another quality that possibly works to Amruta’s benefit is the fact that she knows what it takes to be a public officials spouse. That is to say, while her conversations with the media are diplomatic - like a politician’s wife’s ought to be - they are not completely without colour. For example, Amruta told The Indian Express, how it took her a long time before she could start calling the man she would marry, by his name. The Indian Express reports how Amruta first introduced herself to Maharashtra’s CM designate. She said, “Hi sir, I am Amruta Ranade.” IE reports: "“I used to call him sir always,” Amruta says with a shy smile. “It took some time and effort before I could drop the sir and call him Deven.” Fadnavis, it says, made it very clear to her that he would be very busy and Amruta was reconciled to the idea. So what about Fadnavis bowled Amruta over? “He was wearing a red tilak on his forehead. Frankly, I remember only the calm look on his face. His smile was so reassuring and genuine,” she tells The Indian Express. While speaking to NDTV, Amruta doesn’t reject the idea that the popular perception about politicians is one that is not highly flattering. In fact, she admits that she herself was unsure about the possibility of an alliance with Fadnavis when she was told that he is a politician. “I did have a negative image in my mind about politicians. From being corrupt to boastful, I was always suspicious of a politician’s ways.” However, everything changed after she met him. “I was glad that I was meeting a down-to-earth and genuine person,” she says. Amruta could well be the progressive face that the RSS needs in Maharashtra. Fadnavis’ roots and training in the RSS is being widely talked about and his wife suggests that is not a hindrance, rather a valuable lesson in life. She told the Economic Times, “RSS education makes people disciplined and committed to service. That is something youngsters of the country need the most right now.” While the RSS’ approach to women and freedom is considered to be highly skewed, Amruta’s assertion of her own identity, as Fadnavis’ endorsement of the same, might just start giving RSS the facelift it needs in Mumbai. Amruta tells ET, “I won’t leave my job. I have worked hard to get here…I believe every woman should try to be financially independent. I will always keep working because I too want to grow intellectually. It is a strong point of my identity.”