Maha-Politics Tricky Coalition Management

Politics is the art of opportunity, especially in Indian politics, where we can expect any kind of loyalty shift at any time. In Indian politics, today's enemies are friends tomorrow. Everything is unpredictable. Earlier switching sides was rare. Now people have accepted this as a political culture. 

 In Maharashtra, it was once uncommon to switch sides because there were two unmatchable political poles. Now the line between the poles has disappeared. Since the last assembly elections, we saw the arch-rivals joining hands. Leaders are changing sides like a visa-free migration.

Perhaps for the first time in the country, state cadre parties have split, a tactic tried by the BJP, which has successfully introduced a new political twist. Unlike the last general election, this assembly election saw the BJP preparing well in advance, fielding candidates and making deals with their new partners. Apart from that, they implemented some common man-friendly schemes like "Ladki Bahan" and exempted tolls to Mumbai for four wheelers. They had the last laugh in the politics. The Mahayuti coalition achieved a landslide victory, winning three-fourths of the seats and giving no space for any of the opposition parties to claim the designated position of the opposition leader in the house.

Even the two new partners saved face with the BJP, as their decision to switch sides did not go wrong. Even after seven days of the poll results, the coalition couldn't declare the CM candidate. Unlike other BJP-ruled states, where Central leaders quickly select a CM, it was not easy to choose one in Maharashtra, even though Devendra Fadnavis, the political king in Maharashtra, was expected to be the CM. The delay was not due to the current CM contesting for the top post; rather, the BJP central leadership did not want to keep the same face for a long period. It did not want to establish anyone as a permanent State leader with an unquestionable regional clout. The central leaders wanted to keep the controllable power in their hands, as the earlier Congress superpower high command did.

In Maharashtra, other names are also coming up, like Vinod Tawde, Chandrashekhar Bawankule and others. However, in Maharashtra, selecting a lesser-known leader as CM would not be feasible, as it is not just a BJP government but a coalition rule. The other leaders are not small players, and running a coalition government with regional parties like the NCP is not a simple task. Last time, Devendra Fadnavis could do the tough job. He successfully held the position for five years, keeping the unpleasant and then undivided Shiv Sena within a post-poll coalition. This time, the central leaders must accept the fact that he accomplished the seemingly impossible task of leading the coalition to a resounding victory. He could successfully make the RSS cadre work at the grassroots for his victory, paying a great dividend to his frequent Nagpur visits and several small meetings with RSS workers. It raised his bar of bargaining for Chief Ministership.

SAJIKUMAR

https://sajikumar.co.in