A vastly more powerful CM

With the inauguration of the third tenure of Mr. Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister, Maharashtra can justifiably look for political stability, the lack of which marred the last five years. With the Bharatiya Janata Party having garnered a near majority in the House 133 out of 248 members it will be least vulnerable to the potential threats and shenanigans of the two allies, namely the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Capacity to muster a majority on its own will lend Mr. Fadnavis the power to even ride roughshod against the allies’ reservations on issues where their perceptions diverge. Shinde and Ajit Pawar too would need to exercise restraint against the dominant partner who can be pressed only to a point where goodwill begins turning into ill-will.

The way Shinde was made to bow down to BJP’s chief ministerial choice makes it abundantly clear that coalitional ties cannot be overstretched. Additionally, the Damocles sword of opening the old cases with the ED and Income Tax would always be hanging to coerce them into compliance. The landslide majority has also washed off the stigma of betrayal from the allies who in their new avatar have walked beyond the shadows of their patriarchs, i.e., the Thackeray family and Sharad Pawar. The numerical edge over the parent party lends political legitimacy although the same cannot be said of the moral authority over the cadre. Nor would they be free of the sense of guilt for the betrayal. What however matters in politics is legislative numbers and not the qualms of conscience. The sheer numbers lend the new dispensation an overriding authority to function. Just as the massive mandate has weakened the Opposition in the state in unprecedented measure, it has cast a veil of silence on Jarange Patel and his votaries.

Henceforth, neither would the loss of support of the dominant Maratha community nor the fuss over Dharavi development being handed over to the Adanis need to bother them. However, Fadnavis government would need to look into the Maharashtra- Gujarat binary fast gaining credibility at the perceptional level in the state consequent to shift of industries to the neighbouring state. Farmers’ suicide and continued drought in the state too would need urgent measures. The vast mismatch in the numbers that voted during the election and votes counted does cast a shadow on the credibility of the Assembly Election as well as the Election Commission in the state. The Commission had announced that 58% of voters had cast their vote by 5 pm on November 20. By midnight the percentage was scaled up to 65.02% and on November 23, the day of counting, the numbers were 65.05%. Experts find no logical explanation for the increased percentage. Similar queries were raised pertaining to Lok Sabha votes in the state leading to filing of petitions in the Supreme Court.

The court however refused to entertain the pleas. The Fadnavis Government would need to take a deep look at the several incentives it announced during the run-up to the elections. The state which once prided itself for being the most industrialized state has lost the status during the last few years. Its cities have turned junkyards of industries that have outlived their utility. The new government would have its hands full of challenges and tasks to restore the primacy it once enjoyed.