8 days, no CM! Did Maha vote for this?

Is Maharashtra going to have a stable government without any hiccups after the week-long confusion we have witnessed since November 23 when the ruling Mahayuti swept back to power in the state? Despite winning a staggering 231 seats in the 288-member Assembly, leaders of the victorious coalition which includes the BJP, Shinde Sena and the Ajit Pawar faction of NCP, have been unable to agree on who the next CM should be. This despite the fact that there have been hectic parleys with BJP top guns including Union Ministers Amit Shah and JP Nadda.

Though leaders of the Mahayuti have been presenting a brave face asserting that everything would be sorted out amicably, questions are being raised by the Opposition and even the general public on whether Maharashtra deserves this after giving an overwhelming mandate to the Mahayuti. Given the inconclusive nature of the parleys the coalition partners have held so far, one can’t help wondering why a pre-poll pact could not be struck on the CM face to ensure a smooth transition after the polls. Or was it all a cunning ploy by the biggest coalition partner, the BJP, to make the best of the image the hard working Eknath Shinde enjoyed while leaving vexed questions over the CM choice unanswered? It was obvious to anyone who watched the hectic poll campaign that it was the united face the Mahayuti leadership presented and the welfare programmes including the Ladki Behan Yojana, which powered it to a spectacular win; besides of course the aura Shinde carried of a grassroots leader who rose through the ranks to the top post in the state with sheer hard work and commitment. This was in stark contrast to the picture in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) where it was only an aging Sharad Pawar who tried to put up a determined fight to stop the Mahayuti from running away with the honours.

With the Congress left rudderless after the exit of top leaders and Uddhav Thackeray only a shadow of his former self, victory was never in doubt for the Mahayuti though the final tally proved to be a big shock for adherents of the Aghadi. So if Shinde is sulking despite his brave-faced statement that he has left the decision on the CM to the BJP leadership, should anyone be surprised at all? There is a world of a difference between the fierce loyalist of Balasaheb Thackeray, who was once an auto driver, and the BJP’s CM choice, Devendra Fadnavis, son of a former MLC. And obviously it hurts the more when the BJP, well aware that it has a full 132 seats in the Assembly, plays ‘big brother,’ denying the Sena, most of its demands. One can be sure that there is a lot of heartburn in the Sena over the manner in which the BJP is going ahead with its plans to install its leader as CM at the ceremony on December 5. It also remains to be seen if the Sena will get the posts it is angling for – like that of convener of the Mahayuti or the prized home and finance portfolios.

There are enough leaders in the BJP who know that the vote base of both parties is almost identical as they profess the same pro-Hindutva ideology. They would therefore very much like to see a diminished Sena than an assertive one which has Maratha pride at the core of its ideology. So the attempts to cut Sena leaders like Shinde to size are not surprising at all, considering the BJP’s past record of riding roughshod over its allies. One only hopes that Maharashtra does not lose out because of this ongoing game of one-upmanship which has invited sneers from not only the opposition but even those who were hoping for smooth governance in India’s second largest state.