Are New Equations Emerging In Maharashtra Ahead Of Civic Polls?

The new bonhomie seen between NCP founder Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra’s Deputy CM Eknath Shinde at an event, where Shinde was felicitated by Sharad Pawar, has created waves in Maharashtra politics. Pawar went to the extent of publicly praising Shinde a lot, and this created a flutter in the Shiv Sena UBT camp. Pawar and Shinde fought the recent state assembly polls against each other and had targeted each other a lot during the campaign!

MP and Sena UBT spokesperson Sanjay Raut openly spoke with the media, expressing displeasure over Sharad Pawar’s comments at the event, giving rise to speculation about whether some new political equations are now emerging in Maharashtra ahead of the upcoming civic polls in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and many other large cities of the state. It is obvious that all is not well inside the opposition I.N.D.I.A alliance currently, and the same reflects in the Maha Vikas Aghadi or MVA in Maharashtra.

The recent elections of state assembly, especially Maharashtra and Delhi assemblies, delivered a blow to the opposition alliance, which in any case looked weak with leaders like Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee seen virtually walking away from the alliance earlier. Now one of the senior-most political leaders, not just in Maharashtra but in the country, Sharad Pawar is giving indications that he, too, is not eager to be firmly with the opposition. His praising Eknath Shinde, one of the prominent faces of the BJP-led NDA alliance, openly at a public event has delivered a jolt to the I.N.D.I.A. alliance.

The results of the Maharashtra assembly polls were largely unexpected for the opposition alliance. Riding on the wave of the Lok Sabha results, where the Opposition did very well, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had expected that they would be back in power in Maharashtra. But the sweep that the BJP-led Mahayuti achieved came as a shock. It is attributed to various reasons, such as the Direct Benefit Transfer schemes announced by the Mahayuti and other factors, but this result, followed by the setback AAP experienced in the Delhi assembly polls, is now causing a buzz about whether the MVA will stay together in Maharashtra in the coming polls.

Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil said a few days ago that there is a possibility that the civic polls in around a dozen Municipal Corporations, including Mumbai and Pune, are likely to take place by the end of May. If this really happens, the parties will have to start preparing for these all-important polls from the beginning of March. Senior and seasoned leaders, like the NCP founder Sharad Pawar, have perhaps got the whiff of the coming polls, and the statements that have created a flutter, as well as confusion, indicate that civic polls may really be round the corner in the state. Much is being discussed in the media about the rift between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.

This week the government decided to downgrade the security provided to the MLAs belonging to the Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena. This decision by the government has caused a lot of resentment within Shinde’s party. Earlier, too, there have been many incidents that created some tension between the two leaders of the Mahayuti alliance. The decision over the appointment of guardian ministers in various districts and some other cabinet decisions are being discussed on social media to cite how Fadnavis and Shinde are not on the best of terms right now.

Many feel that a seasoned leader like Sharad Pawar, who is considered to be a master at recognising such small nuances and capitalising on them, may be now trying to politically exploit the situation. All said and done, it seems very likely that the constituents of the Mahayuti may not be getting into a seat-sharing alliance in the upcoming civic polls. It seems that they will fight Mumbai, Pune, and many other municipal corporation polls separately, with the possibility of a post polls alliance kept open. In Mumbai, it is clear that the BJP wants to dominate. In the 2017 municipal polls, the party fought the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation polls without an alliance with their 30-year-old alliance partner Shiv Sena.

A lot of bitterness was caused between the Shiv Sena and the BJP over this, and the seeds of Uddhav Thackeray walking out of the alliance in 2019 were sown right then. In Pune, too, it is very difficult for the BJP to get into a seat-sharing alliance with Ajit Pawar’s NCP, as the grassroots workers and party activists of the BJP have fought against the NCP, which has been their main rival in Pune for over 25 years now.

In all likelihood, the BJP will take the decision this time to keep their grassroots cadre happy, and give them the opportunity to fight on all seats available in mega cities like Mumbai. The rift inside the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi may be evident because of losing polls; a similar rift may be seen in the ruling Mahayuti because of their political over-ambition!

Rohit Chandavarkar is a senior journalist who has worked for 31 years with various leading newspaper brands and television channels in Mumbai and Pune.

Published on: Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 10:25 AM IST