Rajasthan CM to woo investors in Mumbai, Fadnavis keeps a close watch

While Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is hard-selling investment opportunities in Maharashtra to domestic and international entities, his senior party colleague and Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje will pose him a challenge next week by wooing businessmen and corporate leaders in the city.

Vasundhara Raje will try to ink some big-ticket investment deals when she is in the city on May 5 and 6. File pic

The Rajasthan CM will stay at a five-star hotel in south Mumbai on May 5 and 6 and hold roadshows to invite investors to the ‘Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit 2015', to be held in Jaipur on November 19-20 this year. The Mumbai event will be held in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

This isn't the first instance in which CMs of BJP-ruled states have competed with Maharashtra in wooing industries, manufacturers and the service sector. Last November, Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel had made an attempt in the country's financial capital to take home big-ticket investments through the ‘Vibrant Gujarat' campaign.

But then Fadnavis had acted swiftly to negate the Patel effect. He had invited top industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Baba Kalyani and Ajay Piramal for lunch at the state guesthouse Sahyadri, on the day the Gujarat CM had held her event. In his six months in the government, Fadnavis has brought in many investor-friendly reforms and has been able to ink investment deals with several international business houses during his visits to Switzerland (Davos), Germany and Israel (from where he returned on Thursday).

Domestic investors have also responded positively to Maharashtra's reforms. Rajasthan's industry commissioner Abhay Kumar said in a statement to mid-day that the event was part of a series of domestic and international roadshows, which were earlier held in Germany, Japan, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ludhiana.

According to him, the Rajasthan state delegation will also include Minister for Public Health & Engineering Kiran Maheshwari and Minister for Public Works and Transportation, Yunus Khan. "The Rajasthan government recognises that the private sector has a central role to play in achieving sustainable development and inclusive growth. We are inviting companies to forge enduring partnerships with the state," said Kumar.

The Rajasthan CM is expected to highlight the reforms in labour management carried out by Rajasthan and the positive business environment in the state. She will focus on her state's tremendous potential for supporting solar energy projects.

It was not immediately known whether Fadnavis would counter Raje's move in some way or the other, because the Maharashtra CM was occupied with prior commitments on Friday. However, a senior industry department official said that his department would keep a keen eye on the developments at the Rajasthan government event.