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Nothing has stunned Tamil Nadu political circles more than chief minister Joseph Vijay’s grand gesture of a political outreach on May 11 afternoon. Yes, on the first day of the new Tamil Nadu assembly session, Vijay did the unthinkable, reached out to his political rivals across the political aisle. Beginning with his predecessor and DMK supremo M K Stalin, on whom he called at his Alwarpet residence, Vijay reached out to nearly everyone on the broader spectrum of Dravidian parties. For once Vijay seemed – as if he was either God’s good man or at least a man without any guile. In doing so, Vijay was quite clearly following the great traditions of Tamil Nadu political tradition that was followed by veteran Congress leaders such as Rajaji and Kamaraj. Such leaders were known to maintain good relations with DMK patriarch C N Annadurai. Apparently, relations between the ruling and the Opposition side turned for the worse only when MGR who led the AIADMK came to power in the 70s. MGR and Karunanidhi of the DMK could never see eye to eye. DMK could never come to power when J Jayalalithaa led the AIADMK. Political analysts believe Vijay is being well-advised to change political tradition and follow the path taken by Kamaraj. In many ways Vijay seems to be taking a cue from PM Modi. After vanquishing Congress, Modi in 2014 had called on Dr Manmohan Singh. Interestingly, Udhayanidhi, who ignored CM Vijay in the assembly, more than made up by warmly receiving him at his house when he came to meet his father Stalin. Vijay also called on MDMK stalwart Vaiko and PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss. Ramadoss’s wife Sowmya is an MLA. Vaiko hailed Vijay’s gesture as a “healthy tradition”. With the Speaker’s election set for May 12, it remains to be seen if Vijay’s grand gesture helps the TVK government come out with flying colour in its first test.
The recent BJP win in West Bengal must be music to the ear of the Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The end of 15-year rule of Mamata Banerjee’s TMC government means the end of perpetual potato shortage crises in Odisha and prices getting stabilised. Political observers say Odisha-Bengal re-alignment also means settling border disputes and help build coastal belt development in Eastern India and also bring out a comprehensive plan to further develop an interstate trade as well. The most significant point emerging now is the potential of new BJP government in West Bengal to address the misuse of Lord Jagannath name. The controversy was generated by Mamata Banerjee’s TMC government by erecting Lord Jagannath Temple in Digha, West Bengal. This saw the influx of Bengali tourists to Odisha drastically falling. The rumour is the new BJP Bengal headed by Suvendu Adhikari may consider modifying the nomenclature of the Digha temple suitably by removing the name Dham. With a BJP government in Bengal many in Odisha believe the long-standing Puri Temple name and logo controversy between Odisha and West Bengal would finally see a solution soon.
Sangram Mohanty
Even before he was sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister, C Joseph Vijay did the unexpected. He landed up at the venue nearly an hour before the oath-taking ceremony. He was perhaps determined to shatter myths that film stars are not punctual. Interestingly, he dropped his trademark white shirt paired with grey trousers— a sartorial idea he had picked up from his close friend and ex-Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and opted for black suit with crisp white shirt. It is not clear if Vijay was advised by a designer or as it is being said these days, he only listens to his astrologer who has a big influence on him. Like it was on his astrologer’s advice Vijay has been greeting everybody with yellow shawls – TN Governor Rajendra Arlekar to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. In his speech after oath-taking ceremony CM Vijay, who enjoys a great bond with Rahul, warmly referred to the Congress leader as “my brother”. He also referred to Rahul’s close aide, Praveen Chakravarty “as my personal friend”. One of the toughest messages of CM Vijay was that he would reach out to anybody—meaning seek Centre’s help — to serve the state’s interest. Shocked by gaping holes in TN’s fiscal management when officials initially briefed him, Vijay is having nightmares about how to implement his poll sops. It is for this reason that as soon as he was sworn-in Vijay made it clear that he would first bring out a white paper on the state’s financial status. DMK has not taken kindly to this swipe. One of the moving images of the swearing in was the picture of Vijay’s parents –filmmaker S Chandrashekhar and singer Shoba Chandrashekhar. Vijay is close to his mother who is a Hindu Mudaliar. He had built a Saibaba temple in Chennai in 2024 for his mother.
Political uncertainty that prevailed in Tamil Nadu over the last few days ended on May 9 evening with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay calling on Governor Rajendra Arlekar and staking claim to form the government with the support of 120 MLAs-elect in the 234-member House. This meeting resulted in the Governor okaying his swearing-in on May 10 at 10 am at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai. It was Vijay’s 4th meeting with the Governor spread over four days. The TVK chief met the Governor only after the VCK and IUML extended unconditional support to TVK. Could these former DMK allies not have extended support right at the beginning? Who was holding them back? Did the DMK first family deliberately delay the formation of Vijay’s government? It is quite an irony that Vijay who raved and ranted against – thiya shakti or evil forces of the DMK — has now become a puppet of the Stalin family. Udhayanidhi Stalin, it is being said, had opposed lending help to Vijay; he fears Vijay opening files against him after becoming CM. Only former chief minister M K Stalin and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi K batted for democratic support to TVK. Though all DMK allies have technically extended unconditional support, it is possible Vijay will find his hands tied. Left Parties have been told to protest any action against the Stalins. Which in a way means Vijay’s mandate will eventually be subverted by these do-gooders! They will ensure Vijay becomes a puppet in the hand of DMK. Meanwhile, in a post, M K Stalin noted how the Congress did not care to visit Arivalyam and had rushed to sever ties with DMK. Other allies like the Left Parties and the VCK had at least thanked the DMK for its support.
Known for his penchant for making statements on any subject under the sun, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut added another feather to his cap himself. Raut has achieved this glory by writing an open letter to the U.S. President Donald Trump to take exception to the congratulatory message POTUS has sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the BJP’s victory in the West Bengal Assembly election. Within minutes, Raut became a troll victim. The BJP called him a joker. Several social media posts castigated Raut, with one saying, “If leaders like Sanjay Raut are writing letters to Donald Trump, then rest assured something good has happened in Bengal.” A post recalled Raut’s past, saying “He is an MP who is an accused in a scam. Raut was in jail in this connection and he is still not exonerated.” Raut has asked the Most Powerful Leader on Earth to stay out of India’s internal matters. In a flowery language message, Raut has also appealed to Trump to “emphasise democratic values” instead of celebrating the WB result. In his post on ‘X,’ the MP said he was responding to the U.S. President’s best wishes to Modi following the BJP’s win in West Bengal. He also reminded Trump that “These are state-level elections — an internal matter of India’s federal democracy.”
The Maharashtra power sharing formula will have a deep impact on West Bengal’s cabinet formation, to be headed by firebrand Suvendu Adhikari. Hence, the West Bengal council of ministers can have two deputy chief ministers and one of them could be a woman, like in Maharashtra. Headed by hard core RSS worker Devendra Fadnavis, the two DCMs are from the Shiv Sena (Shinde) and the NCP (Ajit). On the other hand, as the BJP does not need the involvement of any other party in WB to form government, two of its prominent MLAs are likely to be inducted as DCMs. Given the bleak reputation of the Mamata government as far as atrocities against women are concerned, the BJP will try to send out a message by appointing a woman deputy CM that it will implement pro-women policies more intensely. A decision in this regard will be known only after Adhikari is formally elected leader of the legislature party. The second West Bengal deputy CM, significantly, will be an ardent RSS activist. As several advisors have pointed out that Adhikari has risen from TMC cadres, the Sangh Parivar will make it a point to reward one of its veteran members with the other deputy CM slot. However, Adhikari has become a darling of the RSS bigwigs since the second in command under Mamata once, he has trounced her twice in her own backyard and hence is a formidable figure in the national Hindutva spectrum. Just like Himant Biswa Sarma of Assam, another late entrant in the BJP. The coming WB government will also emulate Maharashtra for inviting and housing industrial investment as well as in the infrastructure development sector.
In spite of a clear mandate in Keralam, the Congress has not been able to finalise its CM candidate. It seems to be a problem of plenty where the Congress leadership is struggling with how to impose its choice – K C Venugopal. There was so much distrust between the MLAs and AICC in-charge Deepa Dasmushi that many legislators did not want to air their views about the CM choice in her presence as they feared she would snitch about their preferences to Venugopal. They were not even willing to speak to AICC observers in her presence. In these circumstances, Rahul Gandhi with no genuine feedback may feel free to thrust his closest aide, Venugopal, to become the CM. The UDF won 102 seats in the recently held Kerala assembly elections. The Congress emerged as the single largest party, with 63 seats. Other than Congress, the alliance includes the Indian Union Muslim League, the Kerala Congress (Jacob), the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India, the Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samithy and others. Rahul is said to have finalised two names. One is Venugopal, the Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha and also the general secretary of the Congress (for organisation). He has the backing of over 40 MLAs. Venugopal belongs to the Nair community, so do the other 2 contenders—Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheeshan. Rahul is partial towards Venugopal for revamping the Congress organisation. As for Chennithala, he has served as Kerala’s home minister and also the LoP. Chennithala, who is the Congress’s Maharashtra in-charge, is regarded as an organisation man. However, Venugopal may still edge him out as he can arrange funding easily whenever the Gandhi family or the AICC needs. It is being said that big business groups in Keralam are rooting for him. But party workers are fully with Satheesan who was the LoP in the outgoing Keralam Assembly. A social media campaign credits him as the sole architect of the party’s victory. Can Rahul ignore Satheesan?
Close on the heels of the Congress severing ties with the DMK in Tamil Nadu and extending support to TVK led by Joseph Vijay to form a government, DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi sent a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asking for a separate seating arrangement inside the House. In her letter, she said that in view of the changed political circumstances and in view of the fact that our alliance with the Congress has come to an end, it may not be appropriate for us to continue sitting alongside them in the House. She sought separate seating arrangements for her MPs. Kanimozhi’s requests for separate seating arrangement was reposted on X with interest by BJP national secretary BL Santosh; he had predicted that the Congress surely would end up “with egg on its face”. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took to social media to take a veiled swipe at the Congress after the party’s dramatic political shift in Tamil Nadu triggering fresh questions over the stability of the INDIA bloc. Sharing a photograph from his recent meeting with Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and another picture with DMK’s MK Stalin, Yadav posted on social media: “We are not the ones who abandon each other in times of difficulty.” Though he did not name any party, the timing of the remark quickly drew attention in political circles, especially after Congress walked out of its long-standing alliance with the DMK in TN and extended support to actor-politician Vijay’s TVK. Yadav’s post also came just a day after he met Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata following the Trinamool Congress’ setback in West Bengal. The meeting was seen as part of broader opposition efforts to reassess strategy after recent assembly election losses.
Who is behind the violence in Bengal? Since the day election results were declared, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has not conceded defeat. She is apprehensive about her supporters, who might opt to lie low after the debacle. The face of her bhaipo or nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who had challenged Home Minister Amit Shah to come to Bengal after May 4, appeared drained and pale. The Centre has apparently received intelligence reports of TMC supporters donning saffron clothes and ’tilak’, and holding BJP flags while indulging in violence. In some places, some BJP supporters have also indulged in vengeful action. Videos of most of these acts of violence are available, and it is up to the authorities to take corrective action immediately. It is a good sign that the police have swung into action and incidents of violence have declined. For the BJP, it will be a challenge to ensure peace, end fear in the minds of the public and establish the rule of law. Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant, Chandranath Rath was shot dead triggering strong political reactions and intensified scrutiny of post-poll violence in West Bengal. Till now, nearly 200 FIRs have been filed and 433 persons have been arrested. Bengal police, along with central paramilitary forces, are raiding hideouts of anti-social elements, and large quantities of arms and ammunition have been seized. In Sandeshkhali of North 24 Parganas district, more than 20 country-made bombs were seized. Bengal police have set up a helpline for people to dial in case of violent incidents. On May 5, a Trinamool Congress temporary office in Kolkata’s Dharmatala locality was demolished by some BJP supporters, using a bulldozer. BJP leaders claimed that the party office was built illegally in the middle of a busy road.
After Bengal, Telangana is the BJP’s next target in the South? Is it laying the ground to flip a Congress-ruled state? The failure and rejection of BRS, and the unfolding saga of Congress’s rule, ridden by corruption and the non-delivery of promises, have paved the way for the BJP to gear up to set a narrative against the rule of both these parties. In this context, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay’s return has not been ruled out. Sanjay, president of the Telangana BJP in 2023, was considered a powerful orator and succeeded in creating an anti-incumbency wave against the ruling BRS in the state. However, it is believed that his abrupt removal from the post cost the BJP a chance at performing better in Telangana. A long-term plan for Telangana that would carry the party forward beyond any individual is in the works. The BJP is hoping to position itself to capitalise on a possible victory in Karnataka, which goes to the polls just six months before Telangana. Sunil Bansal, master strategist and the BJP’s national general secretary, who is among those credited for delivering Bengal for the party, is expected to visit Hyderabad to give the state leaders a blueprint for 2028, sources say. Nearly a month before Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled visit to Hyderabad on May 10, BJP national president Nitin Nabin and national general secretary Tarun Chugh visited Hyderabad in April, just as Tamil Nadu and Kerala were going to polls. The two leaders met with senior party functionaries and the Telangana Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sangathan mantri, Chandrasekhar Tiwari. In his maiden visit to the state after assuming office for a third consecutive term, PM Modi will launch infrastructure and industrial projects worth nearly Rs 9,000 crore. At present, the BJP has eight MLAs in Telangana and the same number of MPs from the state.
Veteran leader Sharad Pawar finds commonality between Vote Jihad and a particular section of the people voting for the BJP. Explaining his stand, the NCP founder said it was seen in Pune that the BJP was consistently supported by a certain segment (read Brahmin) in some areas. We expect this to happen though don’t call it Vote Jihad, he remarked. According to Pawar, if such voting patterns happen, it is the right of every community to vote as per its choice. He again charged that deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had raised the issue of Vote Jihad. Pawar’s jab was directed at those specific areas of Pune where Brahmin population is dominant and mostly BJP candidates are elected from such localities. Time and again, Pawar has been accused of creating the bogey of caste with an eye on electoral gains by engineering a rift between sections of the electorate. In support of his contention, Pawar said slogans like ‘batenge toh katenge also fall in the same category as they have a communal shade. He alleged that the issue has been cropped up by the ruling dispensation as it is desperate at the bleak prospect in the assembly election, after the Lok Sabha rout. Fadanvis had condemned the Vote Jihad philosophy after cleric Sajjan Nomani released a list of the Maha Vikas Aghadi candidates and asked the Muslims to vote for them.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and former CM Uddhav Thackeray have started singing the same tune. They keep on telling the media, “I am not hankering for Maharashtra’s chief ministership.” Over the past few days, the three leaders have been interviewed by leading dailies and news channels. Each has been repeatedly asked about his prospects to be the next CM. In response, each has reiterated that a decision about this issue will be taken after the assembly election results on 23 November. The issue had become a hot topic soon after the Lok Sabha election when Uddhav Sena’s spokesman Sanjay Raut publicly suggested to Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to project his leader as the next CM. The move was immediately scuttled since veteran leader Sharad Pawar of NCP and state Congress president Nana Patole rejected it. Now that the polls are away in just four days, the issue has been resurrected. Shinde has predicted that the ruling Mahayuti will win around 160 seats in the 288-member house. Fadnavis has been consistently saying that the issue will be decided by Shinde, BJP’s Central leaders and another deputy CM, Ajit Pawar. This stance of the three top leaders in Maharashtra is interpreted as a precaution to ensure that the boat is not rocked at the opportune time.
The absence of Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and other senior NCP leaders from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally at Chhatrapati Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai on November 14 strengthened speculation that NCP could possibly be an unreliable link in Mahayuti. This notwithstanding the fact that the deputy CM had attended a Modi rally in Pune barely two days earlier. Ajit Pawar’s party is a crucial partner in the ruling alliance, alongside Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP. But then NCP candidates Sana Malik, Nawab Malik, and Zeeshan Siddique were also notably absent from the event, which featured leaders from the Shinde Sena and the Republican Party of India (RPI) led by Ramdas Athawale. While the rally was meant to highlight the coalition’s solidarity, reports suggest that NCP leaders are upset over the BJP’s batenge toh katenge campaign. BJP sources said despite Ajit Pawar’s unease with the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva agenda, it is likely that he will stay on the side “which benefits him”. That is he could walk to any side which will make him the CM or as Nawab Malik told Times Now “Ajit Pawar will be king maker”. BJP sources said UP CM Yogi who coined the slogan has been much in demand among party candidates. “We have been forced to cancel meetings of top leaders to accommodate Yogiji”, said a party manager. As for contrary assertions by Ashok Chavan and Pankaja Munde on batenge toh katenge, these are being viewed more as a desire to project themselves than pose any serious ideological counter to the main party discourse.
Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has raised apprehensions about his future moves, once again. Over the past few days, Ajit has betrayed his ambivalence about the way campaigning is proceeding in Maharashtra. While this is being commented upon, his absence at the final rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on November 14 has been noted with concern within the ruling Mahayuti. Neither Ajit nor any of his NCP’s candidates turned up for the PM’s rally organised by chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP. As Ajit failed to appear on the dais, the media attention has focussed on his possible calculations after the assembly poll results are out on 23 November. Already, he has rubbed Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis the wrong way by objecting to UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s slogan batenge toh katenge. Ajit had observed that such slogans will not work in Maharashtra, whose culture was different from that of UP. Ajit’s insistence on fielding former minister Nawab Malik from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar constituency in Mumbai despite the BJP’s open objections had created some strain within the Mahayuti. Now, Malik has told the saffron formation that Ajit’s NCP will not be a part of the next government if Yuti’s campaign strategy is not changed. Ajit’s another confidant, Dilip Walse Patil had said a few days ago that some fresh combination can occur after the election. Ajit has not refuted neither statement. Hence, he is under close observation by the other two partners of Mahayuti.
Maharashtra has locked-in six political parties fighting the mother of all poll battles. Upbeat NDA (BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP) — despite initial assessments indicating alliance bagging below 130 seats — hopes orchestrated triangular fights will register 140 wins. BJP wants 105 like 2019, and expects a two-digit final outcome like Gujarat (99 MLAs won). Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, BJP’s CM face, discerned his party’s 148 candidates as also for Shiv Sena/NCP led by CM Eknath Shinde/Ajit Pawar respectively, even supplanted BJP candidates on alliance party tickets (Shiv Sena:9, NCP:5). Congress leads MVA bloc fighting over 100 seats, UBT Sena fights 90 plus (below 126 in 2019). Sharad Pawar’s NCP shortlisted 35 candidates, then handled a problem of plenty after 85 bounty, finding 50 more candidates post haste. Uddhav Thackeray discerned winning candidates to rectify Lok Sabha debacle (nine MPs from 21 contested seats). Independents, (over 25) from MVA ranks while BJP mostly quelled rebellion, expected to play king makers in Maharashtra government formation post November 23. BJP’s Borivali MLA Sunil Rane rues double bad luck being dumped in favour of Sandeep Upadhyay even as CM Shinde fielded reluctant MP Milind Deora from Worli constituency. Samajwadi Party’s Mankhurd MLA Abu Azmi worries over minority reports swaying towards NCP’s Nawab Malik while BJP’s ‘Bullet’ Patil hopes to gain from “Chanakya Niti” by Fadnavis. Navi Mumbai strongman Ganesh Naik’s son Sandeep quit BJP after senior leader Manda Mhatre got the party ticket making independents unofficial third front in polls.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray has confidently predicted that Devendra Fadnavis will return as the next chief minister of the state. Raj made this statement while making a candid disclosure about his son Amit’s candidature from Dadar-Mahim assembly constituency in Mumbai. Raj has stated unambiguously that he had supported the decision taken by Amit to contest from the constituency, considered the stronghold of both factions of the Shiv Sena and MNS. As sitting MLA Sada Sarvankar of the Sena (Shinde) has refused to withdraw, there will be a triangular fight among the three Senas, a novel feature of the coming election. The fight will be live since the BJP had publicly appealed to Sarvankar and Shinde to yield. After their refusal, city BJP president Ashish Shelar has pledged the party’s support to Amit. A recent angle to the jumble is Raj’s fulsome praise for Fadnavis. In a TV interview, Raj said, “Fadnavis possesses the best political and technical sense. His combination with Eknath Shinde is excellent. After the election, Mahayuti will return to power with Fadnavis as chief minister.” The announcement by Uddhav Thackeray that he will not hold a campaign rally in the constituency though he has a candidate there and Raj’s silence about Aaditya Thackeray during the MNS rally in Worli are contributing to the intrigue. The intensity will increase as Raj has castigated cousin Uddhav for the present mess in the state politics due to defectors.
The ruling Mahayuti (BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP) and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (Cong-Shiv Sena(UBT)-NCP(SP) have decided to keep both former chief ministers in Maharashtra on hold as a cautionary strategy, indicating that they will open their cards at an opportune time. Both hopefuls, Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray, also have adopted a similar stance though Uddhav had earlier tried to prevail upon the Congress and senior leader Sharad Pawar to project him as the next CM. However, both MVA partners had refused to concede. Now, Pawar has announced that his party will support the leader chosen by the largest of the three parties after the assembly election. According to available statistics, the Congress party is contesting the largest number of seats, 102, leaving 96 for the Shiv Sena under Uddhav and 87 for the NCP led by Pawar. In the Lok Sabha, the Congress strike rate was the most impressive. Hence, the Congress has always maintained its claim as the eldest brother in the MVA formation. Similarly, Fadnavis has been lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah over the past two days. Despite this, Shah has declared that a decision about the next Maharashtra CM will be taken after the outcome is declared. The BJP is contesting 152 seats in the 288 member assembly and over a dozen of its leaders are contesting on behalf of the Sena (Shinde) or NCP (Ajit Pawar). Therefore, its prospects are considered better this time, after the Lok Sabha drubbing.
Broad hints of post-election realignments have raised fears that the new Maharashtra government formation will be a long drawn complicated one. Rapprochement vibes are already being noticed from both sides of the Pawar family. While Ajit Pawar swung into action to berate an indignant remark against his uncle Sharad Pawar, his confidants like Dilip Walse Patil and Nawab Malik have been dropping hints that their legislators could swing any ways post-results. The Sharad Pawar faction too seems to have thawed relations and preparing ground for readjustments attributing their partymen exits and party split to ED threats. While Supriya Sule has already stated that there is no familial rift with Ajit Pawar, Nawab Malik has been saying that Ajit Pawar’s support will be critical for any combination that seeks to form the next government. Amit Shah throwing in his weight behind Devendra Fadnavis, at this juncture marks the BJP’s need to consolidate its own vote share in the run up to a fractured verdict. Political scientists like Prof Suhas Palshikar have predicted that a large number of independent legislators could win this time around, adding to post-election instability. Since most of these MLA’s winning on the basis of local caste equations will have weak party affiliations, it makes them susceptible to swing in any direction. Drawing parallels to Maharashtra’s ‘moment of fragmentation’ in 1995 when over 30 plus rebels won elections, Palshikar feels the poll results are unlikely to settle the dust from a scenario emerging from splits, factions, new parties and fronts thus ensuring victory for those who can command less than a lakh votes.
If there is one formula for the success of its third term in Haryana that the BJP would most likely use in Maharashtra assembly polls, it would be having a very limited campaign of its star campaigner PM Modi. Unlike the previous strategy of carpet bombing the poll-bound states and Lok Sabha constituencies with Modi’s rallies in the run upto 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party has begun to restrict the number of Modi’s rallies from Haryana elections. Party sources indicate that PM Modi would not be addressing more than half a dozen rallies and at best such rallies would be spread across different regions in the state. BJP sources pointed out that the CM face for Mahayuti was more or less settled at the Chandigarh NDA CMs meeting when PM Modi asked Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde to move the resolution lauding the return of the BJP in Haryana for a third term. Shinde was picked for the honour even as Devendra Fadnavis who represents the BJP in Maharashtra was present. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar also attended the Chandigarh meeting. The NDA CMs conclave started immediately after the swearing-in ceremony of Nayab Singh Saini on October 17 in Chandigarh. There were 13 Chief Ministers and 16 deputy CMs belonging to the BJP and other NDA allies in attendance. Besides CMs of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, states like Bihar, Sikkim, Nagaland and Meghalaya had also put in their attendance.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has taken a lead over other major parties by declaring its first list of a hundred candidates for the coming Maharashtra assembly election. The party is expected to contest around 160 seats in the 288-member house. Even as the partners in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi have been haggling for their individual share of the seats, the BJP’s decision to come out with the first list is considered strategic. Already preparing for the election immediately after the Lok Sabha election was over, the party machinery is geared up to take on its adversaries. Significantly, the first list has few surprises as almost all the sitting MLAs have been asked to contest. The list is topped by deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. A somewhat surprising nominee is state BJP president Chandrakant Bawankule, who has been accommodated in the legislative council after he was refused the assembly opportunity in 2019. He is considered a loyal follower of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. A few days ago, there were murmurs that Gadkari’s loyalists were being side lined. Following some such news reports, a meeting between Gadkari and Fadnavis took place. Bawankule’s selection to fight for the assembly is considered as an adjustment. While the BJP candidates have gone into an overdrive, the hopefuls in other parties are still groping in the dark about their future. Their fate will be declared latest by Monday (Oct 21) evening, it is felt.
Former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique’s tragic death in a shooting attack has once again churned the state politics on the eve of the coming assembly election. A former Congress leader, Siddique had only recently joined the Nationalist Congress party (NCP) led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. Incidentally, but for a handful pockets, the party has no political space in Mumbai. Hence Siddique’s loss will be felt by it intensely. His son Zeeshan is a Congress MLA from Nirmal Nagar in Bandra. Siddique’s death just outside his son’s office and despite having ‘Y’ grade security has put the three-party Mahayuti alliance in the dock. The focus, however, is on deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as he handles the home portfolio. His critics have once again trained their guns against Fadnavis, perceived as the main challenger for the opposition-led Maha Vikas Aghadi. The demand for his resignation had started no sooner than Siddique was being moved to hospital. Congress scion Rahul Gandhi is among the prominent politicians to castigate the state government for the tragedy. Even some NCP (Ajit) functionaries, too, have joined the chorus. The police are investigating various possible connections behind the killing in the congested busy locality. A popular figure among politicians and Bollywood, the image of the Mumbai police has suffered but the fallout will have to be faced by the political leadership. The embattled Mahayuti will need a herculean effort to emerge from the situation.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his recent visit to Maharashtra, cemented seat sharing talks within the Mahayuti and announced BJP’s CM face. During introductory remarks at a closed-door intra-party BJP meeting Shah recognized Devendra Fadnavis as “Humare Party Ke (Maharashtra) Sarvosarvah” while introducing other state level party leaders by respective designations. Shah’s predominance over 50% of organizational work, the domain of National BJP president JP Nadda, sets to rest speculation over Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s candidature as next BJP president. Chauhan’s exemplary work in agriculture and current emphasis on Maharashtra saw the former Madhya Pradesh CM, son-in-law of Gondia in Maharashtra cosying up to deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. Shah finalized seat sharing numbers for assemblies; BJP will contest between 150-160 seats, Shiv Sena 70-80 and NCP 40-50. Second round discussions will focus on sitting MLAs within the alliance after which, second placed Lok Sabha losers from NDA will also be factored in. Shah also injected confidence in the party cadre asking, “Why are you depressed? We returned to power for a record three times not-just-withstanding INDIA Bloc but also forces from abroad who proactively used AI and funding to defeat PM Modi.” The BJP’s political strategist emphasised the need to grow the NDA vote share by a couple of percentage points in the forthcoming assembly elections bearing in mind the marginal percentage point reduction during Maha Lok Sabha polls in 48 constituencies. Shah’s gameplan also seeks MVA alliance’s vote share effectively curbed may see disgruntled MVA aspirants independently playing spoilsport come elections. Now if only, Nitin Gadkari would also toe the party line?
Amidst persistent speculation about Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s future moves, the appointment of his NCP’s lone Lok Sabha member Sunil Tatkare as chairman of the prestigious parliamentary committee on energy and natural gas is viewed as a BJP sop to keep Ajit in the NDA flock. Ajit was reportedly sore as none of his party MLAs was given any important post in the state whereas chief minister Eknath Shinde’s supporters are appointed to major corporations like CIDCO and MHADA. Moreover, veteran leader Sharad Pawar has added to the suspense by declaring that though Ajit is away from the original NCP, the Pawar family is intact. Of late, Ajit has repeatedly said that his ambition to become the CM has remained unfulfilled. “I am stuck at the DCM’s post,” he said while expressing his frustration. When asked about this, DCM Devendra Fadnavis cryptically said that even if a party had a single MLA, he or she could aspire to become the CM. Just a day ago, Fadnavis had claimed that the BJP lost a dozen LS seats with narrow margins since Ajit’s NCP’s votes were not transferred to the BJP candidates. On the other hand, Shinde Sena’s votes were received, he suggested. The Centre’s decision to accommodate Tatkare will prompt all concerned to rethink their future strategy, it is felt. The picture will start becoming clear in a week’s time.
Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule’s latest allegation against NCP MP Supriya Sule has enraged her supporters. Supriya herself has vehemently refuted the charges and challenged him to produce the evidence to substantiate it. A staunch follower of BJP heavyweights Nitin Gadkari and Devendra Fadnavis, the BJP leader has stunned the state polity with his so-called disclosure. According to Bawankule, she had said, “If Fadnavis comes back to power, we will be nowhere and this will be the last election for Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray.” Different versions of Supriya’s directions to her party’s spokespersons regarding the coming elections are floating around. The general tenor of the reports is that she has indicated to them to go soft on chief minister Eknath Shinde and avoid any statement on Maratha leader Manoj Jarange but zero in on Fadnavis. Referring to these news stories, Bawankule has attacked Supriya while making his allegation. Taking him to task over his remarks, Supriya has challenged Bawankule to produce proof that she had asked her party spokespersons to hit only Fadnavis. “Show me a video making such a statement,” she has said. Fadnavis and Supriya are the two names which are repeatedly making rounds of the political grapevine as the next CM choice. Hence Bawankule’s advocacy of Fadnavis is hardly surprising. Other major parties in the state have so far kept away from this slanging match.
Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar’s choice for the next Maharashtra CM will not be Uddhav Thackeray. This sensational claim made by DCM Devendra Fadnavis has further dented the campaign started by the Shiv Sena leader’s followers to project him as the future chief minister. Pawar and state Congress president Nana Patole have publicly negated Uddhav’s demand to declare the name of the next Maha Vikas Aghadi CM in advance. Both have reiterated that a decision in this regard will be taken at an appropriate time. The Sena (UBT) has maintained a stoic silence ever since on this issue, unlike its practice to react to any development, big or small, instantly. Using the opportunity of his interview taken by a private news channel, Fadnavis ridiculed the efforts being made to project Uddhav as the unanimous MVA leader in Maharashtra. Fadnavis did not mention any other name in this connection but left his remark hanging, so that enough suspense pervades the opposition camp. Pawar himself has added to the guessing game. Though he had claimed that his party would not be in the race for the post, he has now added another rider by stating that the party with the largest number of MLAs will stand the chance. Fadnavis rubbed Uddhav the wrong way by remarking that the three-day recent visit of the Sena leader to Delhi had failed to obtain Sonia Gandhi’s backing to his name for chief ministership. Uddhav’s backlash is awaited.
For the second time in three months, near about 380 member-voters of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) have been called upon to cast their vote for the high-profile position of Secretary, a post that needed to be constitutionally filled after Ajinkya Naik (Secretary) was elected President in July. There has not been a political drama preceding the election on September 3 and people are not even speculating whether Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is playing behind-the-scene role; he appears to have done before the election of the President following the untimely demise of his friend Amol Kale. Candidates believe that they need to have the backing of bigwigs across the political spectrum and in recent times Fadnavis’ name has surfaced more than any other. Abhay Hadap, one of the two candidates for the Secretary’s post, is banking on the goodwill he has gained following his work at maidan level for three decades and his rapport with the Secretary and officials of member clubs. Suraj Samat’s candidature proposed by Sachin Tendulkar has puzzled the cricketing fraternity in the city who feel that the legendary cricketer has been, hitherto, sagacious not to be on a particular side of the electoral process. Hadap and Samat were elected to the MCA Apex Council two years ago and were probably looking forward to hierarchical progress next year, but Kale’s death on June 10 left a vacuum providing an opportunity for the ambitious ones to try their strength and popularity. People in the MCA feel that the two ‘by-elections’ — for the President and Secretary doesn’t matter much, and that next year’s election for the Apex Council will see either the Mahayuti (NDA) or Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA- INDIA Bloc) call the shots.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar’s ambivalence regarding his relationship with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has once again rubbed the saffron sympathisers the wrong way. The second deputy chief minister of Maharashtra is still somehow finding it difficult to align with the BJP fully, since time and again, he has chosen to keep his distance from the RSS. His latest two-day Nagpur visit was more in the news due to his absence from the RSS headquarters where chief minister Eknath Shinde and DCM Devendra Fadnavis bowed before the memorial to RSS founder KB Hedgewar than his party political activity. Interestingly, Shinde and both DCMs later held a marathon meeting behind closed doors to discuss and plan their strategy for the assembly election. Ajit’s cautious approach towards the BJP-RSS stands in stark contrast with Shinde’s unhesitant camaraderie with Fadanvis and Union home minister Amit Shah, among others. Shinde has been complimented by PM Narendra Modi during his Maharashtra visits, sending mixed signals. In Nagpur, Ajit held a series of meetings with his followers to assess his prospects in Vidarbha after his break away from his uncle Sharad Pawar. Although the BJP has reportedly promised to accommodate the NCP(A) in the post-election equation, the speculation surrounding him does not end. The Nagpur visit has only provided cannon fodder to Ajit’s detractors, who have been making use of such incidents to corner him.
Ajit Pawar is facing coalition compulsions of a completely different kind. Even as he faces a blatant dig by Eknath Shinde’s minister Tanaj Sawant that Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ideologues puke him off, Pawar chose to tamely ignore it. Known for his brash arrogant straight talk, his supporters were startled to hear him say that he would rather focus on his work, not forgetting to hint at how he continued to enjoy the confidence of Amit Shah. Along with Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar continues to be the only other senior leader in Maharashtra who has the ears of Shah. This is probably his trump card as also the reason for his restraint, despite a few loud voices in both the BJP and his own party, trying to raise the pitch against each other. That hasn’t stopped him from chartering his own independent path ahead though. He was the first leader from Mahayuti alliance, to tender an apology about the falling of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Konkan. Not stopping at that, NCP’s own workers staged dharnas protesting, clearly aimed at tapping into the strong anger in Maharashtra about it. Pawar is already on a state-wide campaign in his now-trademark pink jacket, even as he simultaneously continues to participate in rallies with Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis.
In a surprising political development, the BJP backed, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde led Maharashtra government has included the Kunjda (Muslim) community under Other Backward Castes (OBC) categorization alongside the Mali, Baagwaan and Raien communities. “Nothing unusual about this,” says former Congress CM Prithviraj Chavan adding, “The BJP had done this in Gujarat also.” Another political observer counters this and said, “It is surprising given BJP’s avowed stance against Muslims getting reservations under SC, ST and OBC categories. Former Telangana CM KCR introduced 5% reservation for Muslims and BJP vociferously opposed it. In Maharashtra, former Congress CM Sushil Kumar Shinde introduced 5% (reservation in education) for Muslims that was put in abeyance by former BJP CM Devendra Fadnavis. Why has the Maharashtra government accepted the recommendation of the State Backward Caste Commission in this regard under the watch of DCM Fadnavis?” In 1990 the Mandal Commission’s recommendations were enforced to include Muslim caste categories including the Pinjari, Khatik (meat cutters), Shikalgaar communities. “The current inclusion of the Kunjda (Muslim) community is likely a gambit by DCM Fadnavis to carve out a segment of the Muslim community as a vote bank just before state assembly elections or, pushed by DCM Ajit Pawar who claims a Muslim voter base by offering OBC reservations. What about offering the same OBC categorization to backward, poor Maratha Community?” a political source asked. Maharashtra BJP executive committee member Mahendra Jain said, “This is a good move. Going further we must conduct a caste census of the Muslim community also to identify more such backward segments like the Pasmandas (Dalit Muslims (Arzals) and backward-caste Muslims (Ajlafs) were identified by PM Narendra Modi, so they too can benefit from reservations.”
Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj, a Hindu holy figure, has unintentionally triggered a war of words between the BJP and the NCP(Ajit) over his certain controversial remarks about another religion. The Mahant’s purported statement had led to a serious law and order situation in Nasik in north Maharashtra. While a few criminal cases have been filed against him, spokesmen of NCP(Ajit) and the BJP have added fuel to the fire by their respective utterances. Pawar’s confidant Amol Mitkari, MLA, has made certain objectionable comparisons of the Mahant while advising him caution. The use of the word dog in that comparison has enraged the Mahant’s followers. BJP legislator Ram Satpute has asked Mitkari not to forget that his party, the NCP(Ajit), is a constituent of the Mahayuti. Alleging that Mitkari has had an aversion against Hindutva, Satpute said, “Commercial thinkers like Mitkari have no business to tell Hindu religious leaders on what position to take about such matters.” Even as the duel was raging, a BJP demonstration against deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in Pune district has provided another pointed angle to the Mahayuti equation. Maharashtra NCP (Ajit) president Sunil Tatkare has angrily asked the BJP protestors not to do something that could sour the relationship between the two parties. The BJP workers were upset since only Pawar’s image was flashed at an official event’s venue, ignoring CM Eknath Shinde and DCM Devendra Fadnavis.
Looks like none of the political coalitions in Maharashtra, be it the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) or Mahayuti, wants to face that prickly question. No one really wants more chaos than what is already playing out in Maharashtra politics and importantly no one wants to rock the boat of coalition politics. While Sanjay Raut fired the first salvo to raise the pitch for Uddhav Thackeray as CM candidate followed by Uddhav taking to New Delhi with wife and son in tow, to meet the Congress leadership on this. The Congress though chose to ignore his bid, choosing to state that the party with the highest tally would get to hoist its CM. The NCP too has refused to get into this issue, instead pointing at how the ruling Mahayuti has failed to name its nominee for the top seat in state. Though the BJP has decided to go to polls under the leadership of Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, its chief leader here, Devendra Fadnavis, expected to move to New Delhi to take over as the new party president. Fadnavis himself had mentioned that true to the new trend set by their party in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, pretty much anyone could become the CM here. The ambitious Ajit Pawar, did publicly voice how despite being senior to both Shinde and Fadnavis, he had missed out on the CM bus. While politically things continue to be vague about the face of the next CM, smaller leaders commanding much lesser legislator support numbers like Raj Thackeray (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena), Bachchu Kadu (Prahar Janshakti Party) and even Imtiaz Jaleel (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) have got banners proclaiming them as future CM.
The open war between Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and former home minister Anil Deshmukh has reached another level. At the centre of the freshly erupted duel is arrested police officer Sachin Vaze. Some of his latest claims are going viral. Vaze had written to Fadnavis a couple of days ago that Deshmukh had been asking his personal staff to collect money for himself when he was the home minister. Vaze has volunteered to face a narco test. In police custody for a long time now, Vaze came into the limelight as he was reinstated in the police department ending his long suspension by the government of Uddhav Thackeray. He used to report to Deshmukh, who was then the home minister. It was reported that Vaze, a fairly junior officer, was bypassing many seniors in the hierarchy and had a direct link with Deshmukh. A huge furore followed several sensational disclosures around that matter. Owing to the seriousness of the case, an enquiry panel under Justice Chandiwal was appointed. Deshmukh has now claimed that Vaze had admitted before the panel that no money had been collected by him (Deshmukh). Moreover, the former home minister has charged that Fadnavis had been using a criminal (Vaze) for attacking him. He has alleged that Fadnavis was not making the panel report public since it had exonerated him.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is among the frontrunners to don the mantle of the president of the BJP. Sitting president J P Nadda’s term will soon come to an end. When Nadda was inducted in the Modi 3.0 team, it was obvious that the party will start looking for its new president. Besides giants like Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Dharmendra Pradhan, the name of Fadnavis is making rounds of the political grapevine in the national capital. However, the state assembly election being slated for October this year, some rethink about the schedule of his installation at the BJP headquarters could take place. BJP top brass has not given any indication either way but whispers are seeping out about the party machine’s overhaul. Owing to the disappointing show of the party in the Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to be more malleable now towards RSS suggestions. In such a scenario, Fadnavis will fit the bill perfectly as he is close to both, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Modi. If and when Fadnavis is elevated, the thorny issue of selecting the next chief minister of Maharashtra will automatically get resolved as present incumbent Eknath Shinde or another DCM, Ajit Pawar, will be asked to run the show provided the NDA wins a majority. Fadnavis has time and again expressed his desire to devote to the party work.
It’s been raining doles or revdis in Maharashtra. Be it for women, girl college students, unemployed youth, the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government has been promising stipends, free gas cylinders and subsidies almost every week. Leading the pack has been the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana that promises monthly stipend of Rs 1500 for women, which has got overwhelming response with over 1.8 crore applications received. Each of the faction of the Mahayuti alliance be it the chief minister Eknath Shinde from the Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar or Devendra Fadnavis, have been taking credit for it, even before the disbursement of first instalment scheduled on Raksha Bandhan day (Aug 19). Though the state has over Rs 7.8 lakh crore debt, it has already sanctioned Rs 35,000 crores of the annual outlay of Rs 46,000 crore this budget for this scheme. This scheme, which is the equivalent of Madhya Pradesh’s Ladli Behna scheme, is expected to replay the MP government electoral verdict here. A recent survey by Sakaal media group has shown that the ruling Mahayuti front could bag 136 seats as opposed to 152 seats by the MVA front and the Mahayuti hopes that this scheme could help cover up the short gap in the numbers game between the ruling and opposing front explains. Shinde Sena’s spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam. These schemes could tilt the scale in favour of Mahayuti. Devendra Fadnavis has asked people not to enrol from desks set up by offices of opposition parties, as they might not submit forms in a bid to discredit the scheme. Though Ajit Pawar claims that the state has enough funds to continue these schemes, he warned people against voting for opposition lest they discontinue this scheme.
The Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections due in October/November 2024 has the BJP recalibrating its poll plans in the wake of the setback it suffered in the state at the recent hustings for the Lok Sabha. A revitalized and wiser BJP deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to stake a claim to contest 130 to 135 state assembly seats out of the 288 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra. At the recently held party conclave in Pune last week the BJP’s face for Maharashtra, shedding his inaccessibility tag, exhorted party men to desire and deserve party candidatures for the state assemblies with the only proviso that they consciously refrain from indulging in controversial public speaking. “The BJP has always performed well when a triangular political fight took place in Maharashtra, as in 2014 and 2019 securing when it won 122 seats and 105 seats respectively. The party is backing up DCM Ajit Pawar wholeheartedly to ensure a repeat in their poll fortunes in the state of Maharashtra,” BJP’s Maharashtra Executive Committee member Mahendra Jain avers dismissing talks of imminent plans to eject the Maratha leader as just idle chatter. All the same, loud rumblings abound of possible plans by the prodigal nephew of Sharad Pawar to reinvent his political positioning in Maharashtra. The BJP’s desperation for Maharashtra is undeniable, considering it lost the state in 1999 under then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure and again in 2019 under PM Modi, when the MVA alliance trumped BJP prospects in the state and, is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to rule the state. The poll efforts of the BJP are easier said than done what with the tallest Maratha leader in Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray of the original Shiv Sena busy garnering a double sympathy wave for their respective political formations once again in tandem with the Congress. Only time will tell for whom the political bells toll?
The present and former home ministers of Maharashtra are entangled in a fierce word war, hurling serious allegations against each other. Former home minister Anil Deshmukh has claimed that he had received a proposal from deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to escape the ED’s action. Fadnavis is the home minister, too. Deshmukh has named a Jan Surajya Party leader, Samit Kadam, as the go-between. Kadam is learnt to be from Miraj in Sangli district and has refused to respond to any queries. Deshmukh was in the ED custody for a long time and has been out on bail. He said Kadam came to him repeatedly on behalf of Fadnavis and has threatened to make public certain video clips about the meetings. Fadnavis has refuted all allegations and countered that Deshmukh should come out with concrete evidence. He has threatened that he will publicise the information in his possession about Deshmukh after the latter really releases the clips. Deshmukh has reiterated his charge that there was a plan to arrest Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aaditya, Ajit Pawar (then DCM) and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab. He said Kadam had carried four affidavits and had asked him to sign them. “Had I signed them, all these four leaders would be behind bars today,” Deshmukh has said. The ruling and opposition formations are now busy discrediting each other over the controversy as the state assembly election approaches.
Why the high profile Prasad Lad did not file a nomination for the election to the post of president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) remains a mystery. The 53-year-old MLC of the BJP, who could pull strings with the state deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, announced that he would “100 %” file nomination, but according to the grapevine, was stopped from “entering the fray” upon instructions from the party bosses in New Delhi. What gives credence to this development is that another BJP big shot, Ashish Shelar — the Bandra boy is the president of Mumbai BJP — had already named the MCA vice-president Sanjay Naik as a potential successor to Amol Kale, who passed away in New York on June 10. Shelar pointed out at Kale’s condolence meeting that Sanjay had sportingly withdrawn in favour of Kale in the MCA election of October 2022. With Kale — who owed his position in the MCA to Fadnavis — at the helm, Lad could not have considered seriously engaging with the association. Lad’s backtracking will likely see the incumbent secretary, Ajinkya Naik, lock horns with the incumbent vice-president, Sanjay. Looks like they are daggers drawn and ready for the big fight! Should there be no withdrawal on July 16, the election will occur on July 23. The loser will retain his position, though (as secretary or vice-president), so both could get a toe-hold some 15 months before next year’s election to the full Apex Council. Lad may throw his hat in the ring next year if the BJP-Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde and NCP of Ajit Pawar win the assembly elections in October-November.
Mumbai and Maharashtra’s Chirag Shetty may have stirred the hornet’s nest by telling the Government of Maharashtra to look at the achievements of sportspersons of the State in Olympic sport and reward them, just as they do for cricketers. He was only refreshing the people in authority that he, too, as a son of the soil, had helped India win the ultimate prize in badminton — the seven-plus decade-old Thomas Cup in 2022. A doubles specialist — his partner being Satwiksairaj Rankireddy from Telangana — Chirag had played his part in the historic win. The young shuttlecock player made a timely appeal soon after the Government of Maharashtra feted the Mumbai players and support staff of the Indian team that won the Twenty20 World Cup in Barbados on June 29 with a cash award of Rs 11 crore. Former India player and coach Uday Pawar has hit the nail on its head, saying that a mechanism in place for winning World Cup level competitions would straightaway reward sportspersons and that achievers like Chirag can focus on their sport. Chirag, along with his partner, are among the top doubles pairs in the World, and the badminton community in India is fondly hoping for a medal from the doubles pair in the forthcoming Summer Olympics in Paris. On the count of sweat and toil, Chirag is no less than any other champion performer. Chirag doesn’t grudge the cricketers being applauded before the lawmakers in the Vidan Sabhan, and most importantly, he is only asking the likes of Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar to pat achievers in other sports on their back and be generous on money matters.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde is emerging as an independent leader which even the might of the BJP has acceded to. Soon after Shinde assumed power two years back on June 30, 2022, it was largely believed that the Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena would eventually be made to merge with the BJP and the name and symbol would be wiped out. However, far from being wiped out, Shinde has kept the Sena flag so strong that the BJP has officially announced that Shinde would be leading the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance into the polls. Meanwhile, both his deputies — Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar — are busy struggling to retain their base within their own parties as they face power struggles from within. Fadnavis’ stature has witnessed sharp climb down post-Lok Sabha debacle while Ajit Pawar support base is being debilitated by an astute Sharad Pawar. The Manoj Jarange Patil-led Maratha agitation has further consolidated his position; any attempt to dislodge this Maratha CM would not be acceptable to the Maratha community. The BJP which suffered strong backlash from the Maratha community in the Lok Sabha poll would not want to antagonise Marathas at this stage. Shinde is also working on crafting his own individual brand. His strategy of tagging chief minister to the monthly stipend for women scheme — Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana — has resonated well with rural women who are flocking to government offices in large numbers. He also got the winning Indian Cricket team to visit the Maharashtra assembly, the posters for which bore the CM’s face along with his two deputies, rather than the faces of the popular cricketers.
Maharashtra’s BJP deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis offered to resign over the 2024 Maha Lok Sabha debacle the party suffered but the high command rejected it. Then the social media faux pas happened, when BJP’s Maharashtra IT cell head Shweta Shalini sued well known Marathi journalist Bhau Torsekar who in his Youtube show Pratipaksha equated Shweta with south Indian actor and party counterpart ‘Ramya’ who cost the party badly down south India some years ago. Fadnavis’ outreach to Bhau met with the latter’s follow-up parody episode further impacting the deputy CM’s public persona. Consequent social media outburst from party insiders exposed all the Fadnavis men for mismanagement of Rs 550 crore party funds during Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra. Sources say, one close confidant of Fadnavis is accused of usurping Rs 25 crore to purchase a high-end apartment in tony Malabar Hill, and also renting a plush office in Mumbai at Rs 10 lakh a month. Likewise another confidant from Nagpur is believed to have secured plum posting in MSEB. BJP’s Lok Sabha debacle in Maharashtra is being attributed to wrong selection of candidates, conceding more Mumbai seats to CM Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and disconnect with BJP cadres. Will Fadnavis mend the tear, put his house in order in time to face state assemblies? Time will tell, even as BJP additionally invests ‘Tan, Man & Dhan’ upon Fadnavis’ NCP counterpart Ajit Pawar for edge in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections of 2024.
Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents gearing up for Maharashtra’s state assemblies come November 2024, are ecstatic by results of the general elections. Congress that fought 17 officially (backed one Sangli independent) is basking in affections of traditional Muslim, Dalit voters and wants alliance consensus over assembly seat sharing, unlike for Lok Sabha polls. Sharad Pawar, who strategically fought 10 winnable seats, being low on confidence, candidates for Lok Sabha, is enthused about his faction’s prospects. Shiv Sena (UBT) that unilaterally fought 23 parliamentary seats, bucked exit polls and now enjoys a newfound political alliance voter base, is roaring for elections. Shiv Sena CM Eknath Shinde elected seven MPs but preferred not to designate MP son Dr Shrikant as party’s second Union Minister over the latter’s reluctance, although offered by BJP. There are strong rumours that CM Shinde may be inducted into PM Narendra Modi’s cabinet after Maharashtra’s assembly elections. His deputy CM, Devendra Fadnavis has retracted efforts to be relieved of his post, launched into election mode even as the party high command put off any imminent reshuffle in Maharashtra for now. The BJP cadre hopes for a more accessible Fadnavis prior to state assemblies and more prudent choices for 36 Mumbai assembly constituencies. Mistakes like replacing sitting MP Manoj Kotak (north east parliamentary constituency), ostensibly offering a youthful candidate for Lok Sabha, boomeranged upon BJP in its traditional seat and are unlikely to be repeated before state polls. Ajit Dada wants more but may secure less than 80 to 90 assembly seats just like Shiv Sena as BJP feels the punishment from Muslim voters is only past precedent.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is now at the receiving end for varying reasons. On the heels of the criticism published in the RSS mouthpiece ‘Organiser’ against the BJP’s decision to take him along, the NCP led by him decided to field his wife Sunetra for the lone Rajya Sabha vacancy from the state. As her’s is the only nomination, she will be elected unopposed. The disapproval of the decision emanates from the fact that Sunetra was defeated in the Lok Sabha election by Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule. Despite this, Ajit has prevailed upon his party leaders to grant the seat to her. The absence of chief minister Eknath Shinde and DCM Devendra Fadanvis at the time of filing of the nomination by Sunetra has added to the political speculation against Ajit. His clarification that he had not invited anyone for the filing, which was attended by only NCP(A) leaders, is seen as a lame defence. Ajit also did not respond to the ‘Organiser’ criticism, which had observed that the BJP had lessened its brand value by including Ajit in the state government. He said different people expressed their opinions after elections and they had a full right to do so. “I have concentrated on development. We have to face the coming assembly election with fresh vigour,” he said, declining to be drawn in a new controversy.
The absence of state agriculture minister Dhananjay Munde, along with five other guardian ministers in a meeting called by the Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, to review the prevailing drought-like-situation in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, has attracted criticism from the Opposition parties. Only two of the eight guardian ministers from the worst-affected Marathwada region, were present at the meeting to discuss drought relief at a time when the state is reeling under a severe water crisis with 2973 villagers and 7671 hamlets dependent on 3692 tankers for their water supply. When Sharad Pawar termed the absence of agriculture minister as reflection of a “lack of seriousness” on the part of the government, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis retorted back that the Opposition was being “too negative” and politicising the drought-scenario prevailing in state. NCP (Sharad faction) party president Jayant Patil accused the government of still being in election mode while senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat pointed out that relief work was affected as guardian ministers were holidaying abroad. With the voting process having wrapped up in the state on May 20, state political leaders have finally started paying attention to the water crisis looming large in the state. Incidentally, though the heat wave and water crises was very much prevalent in Maharashtra during the election process, none of the political parties chose to raise this issue in the election process. Instead the polls in Maharashtra were fought on issues like party rebellion and betrayal. Sharad Pawar has demanded a relief for farmers starting with fodder camps for cattle, restructuring crop loans, freeze on loan recovery processes, relief in exam fee and electricity as drought-relief measures.
The Pune car crash tragedy is taking a political turn as different angles connected with the police station concerned and the family of builder Vishal Agarwal are coming out, one after another. The latest is about veteran leader Sharad Pawar. A picture of Pawar with the lawyer of the accused family members went viral on social media. When Pawar was asked about it on Friday, he lost temper and said connecting any past meeting with this episode was not fair. He retorted that it was not necessary that he should express opinion on every issue. The Pawar family is facing criticism on several counts about the deadly car crash. His daughter Supriya Sule, MP, broke her silence over the incident after she was repeatedly attacked for not saying a word for four days about it in her hometown. When Pawar was asked why his nephew and now adversary Ajit Pawar was not seen handling the investigation as guardian minister of Pune district, he snapped, “Ask this question to Ajit.” Even as the furore continues, local Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar has levelled serious allegations of corruption against Pune police force. The Lok Sabha candidate has circulated a couple of pictures of constables from a police station in inebriated mood and has threatened to expose such elements from different police stations every day from today. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has condemned politicisation of the sorry incident, saying that Pawar and I.N.D.I.A bloc are facing depression.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde’s last Nasik visit had turned into a political slugfest since Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had questioned why the CM needed large suitcases for such a brief visit. “What was in the bags,” he had asked, apparently to imply that they were stuffed with cash. When Shinde landed at Nashik on Thursday (May 16), his luggage was examined by election and police officials. They later declared that the baggage contained only some essentials, including medicines. Shinde then teased his opponents by saying, “Yes, today also I have come with bags.” The Nashik Lok Sabha seat is among prominent fights in the state as Shinde’s loyalist Hemant Godse finally secured the NDA nomination despite local BJP and NCP opposition. He is opposed by rival Shiv Sena’s Rajabhau Waje, picked by Uddhav to wrest the seat. Senior NCP (Ajit) leader Chhagan Bhujbal, too, had thrown his hat in the ring and his name was almost finalized though Godse was asked to go ahead at the last minute. Ever since, the holy town of Nashik has turned into a fierce battlefield, Shinde, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and other top leaders from both sides have been frequently visiting it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s May 15 rally has only highlighted the importance of the constituency.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde has selected two Lok Sabha candidates from Mumbai. According to the much-awaited announcement, MLAs Yamini Jadhav for Mumbai South and Ravindra Waikar for Mumbai North-West will take on Uddhav Thackeray’s confidants Arvind Sawant and Amol Kirtikar, respectively. Jadhav and Waikar, both close to Uddhav once, were also on the ED’s radar. Sawant has been elected twice from the constituency which houses all important government offices, including Mantralaya, the Reserve Bank and the Mumbai Stock Market, besides various international financial corporations. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has explained that the Shiv Sena led by Shinde was allotted three of the six seats from Mumbai and accordingly, Jadhav and Waikar are in the fray. Till last month, Waikar was with the Uddhav faction but changed sides recently to join the Sena under Shinde. He will be opposing Amol Kirtikar, whose father Gajanan has been representing the Western suburban constituency for a decade. The third Sena (Shinde) candidate is sitting MP Rahul Shewale, from Mumbai South Central, considered the stronghold of the Sena (Uddhav). His opponent is top Sena functionary Anil Desai, who is considered among the closest to Uddhav. The BJP has fielded ace lawyer Ujjwal Nikam (Mumbai North Central), Union minister Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North) and Mihir Kotecha (Mumbai North East). All fights in Mumbai, thus, will witness a keen tussle.
The flurry of allegations and counter-allegations has reached another level in Maharashtra this election season. Day in and day out, various leaders slander their opponents, at times using abusive language. Now, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has made a serious allegation against deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and his boss, Uddhav Thackeray, has endorsed it. Fadnavis has reiterated his charge that the Thackeray’s Maha Vikas Aghadi government had tried all options to arrest him but failed since it did not find anything incriminating. Even a police commissioner of Mumbai was roped in but in vain, he added. Responding to the charge, Raut said that Fadnavis had ordered phone tapping when he was the chief minister. When the MVA government began investigating the matter, Fadnavis got worried and engineered the fall of the Thackeray government. Though Uddhav who so far had maintained silence about the issue he endorsed what Raut said. Uddhav also questioned the exoneration of various prominent leaders from charges of corruption. He was hinting at the clean chit issued by the Mumbai police to Sunetra Pawar in an alleged fraud case. Uddhav said such questions had been uppermost in people’s minds. Even if no answers are forthcoming, the voters will not forget them, he warned. Only a few days ago, Uddhav’s son Aaditya had used derogatory terms against CM Eknath Shinde. There is no sign of the combat of verbal invectives subsiding.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde has threatened his arch enemy Uddhav Thackeray that various documents concerning properties from London to Lucknow and khoka to container are in his possession and if his predecessor does not observe limits of decency, everything will be made public and then he (Uddhav) will not be able to move around openly. In an interview to Marathi news channel ABP Majha, Shinde castigated Aaditya Thackeray for using intemperate language against him and others. In an oblique reference to London, the CM said there was no reason for somebody to become restless when relaxing in the British capital was mentioned. “Observe limits, or else all will come out. We have documents about London and 200 acres in Lucknow,” Shinde warned Aaditya. He reiterated that the then Thackeray government had planned to jail top BJP leaders like Devendra Fadnavis, Ashish Shelar, Pravin Darekar or Prasad Lad. He recalled how Union minister Narayan Rane, MP Navneet Rana, journalists like Arnab Goswami were jailed during the Uddhav regime. He alleged that Uddhav was trying to weaken the BJP on one hand and strengthen Maha Vikas Aghadi on the other by using governmental machinery. Praising MNS leader Raj Thackeray, he said Raj was a broad minded person unlike Uddhav. He expressed confidence that the Mahayuti will sweep the polls in Maharashtra.
The Election Commission’s directive to the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray not to use ‘Hindu’ and ‘Jai Bhawani’ in its campaign song has provided an unexpected boost to the party’s morale. Uddhav has already challenged the order, saying he is prepared to fight a legal battle over the intended ban. Burdened by the role as the largest partner in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Uddhav Sena has been finding itself cornered due to various sensational disclosures against Uddhav and his two-year rule. Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar have been in the forefront in this regard. In this atmosphere, the EC’s fiat has come as a shot in the arm as the words – Hindu and Jai Bhawani – possess magical effect on the Marathi psyche, irrespective of any party ideology. Sensing this, Uddhav has declared his resolve to oppose the order. But deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and some other leaders have attacked Uddhav by reminding him that he had left the Hindutva long back when he decided to go with the Congress and other such forces. Uddhav has argued that PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah continue to invoke Lord Ram and Bajrang Bali in their speeches. Take action against them first, he has challenged the EC, which is yet to respond to the Sena’s communication opposing the ban.
Firebrand OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal has announced his withdrawal from the Lok Sabha election. He himself has made this momentous announcement, saying that any delay in deciding a candidate for the Nashik constituency could be denting the Mahayuti’s prospects. Bhujbal indicated that none had asked him to walk out but chief minister Eknath Shinde’s insistence for the seat is seen as the reason for this significant development. Had Bhujbal been fielded, there was the possibility of the Maratha opposition as he is the main exponent of the OBC’s opposition to their reservation demand. However, neither Bhjubal nor sitting Sena (Shinde) MP Hemant Godse have touched upon this aspect. But the announcement has almost endorsed Godse’s bid for a third term. Bhujbal thanked Union home minister Amit Shah, disclosing that Shah was insistent for him, as informed by DCM Ajit Pawar and confirmed by another DCM Devendra Fadnavis. Godse has expressed satisfaction over Bhujbal’s decision and the Mahayuti, too, feels relieved since Nasik was one of the seats for which so far no unanimity could occur. Bhujbal has now declared that he will tour Maharashtra for the victory of Mahayuti candidates. His presence in some constituencies could be beneficial, but inconvenient in some others due to his strident pro-OBC stance.
Dalits, who constitute 11.81 % of Maharashtra’s population, have failed to find space in the seat-sharing arrangements from either of the political coalitions in the post-split Maharashtra political scenario. Ramdas Athawale, the erstwhile Union minister for social justice and empowerment, and probably the most prominent Dalit face in the country, has failed to bag even a single seat for his party. Athawale revealed that he has been promised cabinet ministership in the forthcoming Maharashtra government, posts in a few corporations in and assured seats in the forthcoming assembly elections. He also revealed that his supporters had asked him to stay put in the ruling NDA alliance since being in power had benefited his party. He is also cool right now as his own Rajya Sabha term continues till 2026. Ambedkar did rue that despite being an old alliance partner with the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition, those who came in much later like the Eknath Shinde received much better terms than him. Athawale’s pitch for Shirdi constituency had to be given up to accommodate the seat for Eknath Shinde-supporter sitting MP Sadashiv Lokhande. He did admit that deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had reached out to him to cool tempers after he publicly expressed his displeasure. The other senior Dalit leader, Prakash Ambedkar has already put up 20 candidates from his Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. This time around though Ambedkar has decided to put up candidates from all communities and not necessarily only from the Dalit community.
Will Maharashtra Navnirman Sena founder Raj Thackeray embrace the BJP via the NDA? His Gudi Padwa Melawa speech which will take place at Shivaji Park, Dadar, central Mumbai is, hence, awaited with baited breath by all sides since some electoral calculations will depend upon his stand. A firm supporter of Narendra Modi in 2014, Raj was among the first to demand that Modi be made Prime Minister. Within a couple of years, he turned a bitter critic of the PM and continued to lambast BJP. After the dramatic change of power in Maharashtra in 2019, Raj trained his guns against cousin Uddhav Thackeray, who was installed as chief minister by Sharad Pawar and the Congress party. Thereafter, Raj gradually started changing his stance and recently, came out openly in support of the BJP. His meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah and his silence from the next moment till now has heightened the suspense about his next move. If Raj joins the NDA alliance, the Shiv Sena under Uddhav will be the most vulnerable as it will be difficult for it to repulse his acidic attacks, evoking Balasaheb Thackeray’s utterances against ‘anti-national’ forces. His staunch advocacy of Hindutva was praised by deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday (Apr 8), giving indications that Raj is ready to make an important announcement on Tuesday (Apr 9).
A BJP heavyweight once upon a time, Eknath Khadse’s homecoming in the saffron camp was indicated time and again. Now that he has himself confirmed it, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under Sharad Pawar has been dealt another severe blow on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections. Khadse had only a short while ago joined the NCP and was made a member of the state legislative council. Since the Pawar faction of the NCP has just three members in the upper house, including Khadse, his desertion of the party which elected him to the house will not legally amount to a defection. Hence, Khadse can continue to be a MLC. His daughter in law Raksha has been renominated by the BJP for the Lok Sabha. To counter the move, Pawar had decided to field Khadse. However, the former BJP boss declined, citing health reasons. Soon thereafter, his Delhi visits and his ‘courtesy call’ on Union home minister Amit Shah led to the talk of his returning to the BJP but he continued to discount the possibility. Finally, Khadse himself accepted that his donning the saffron garb again would be taking place soon. Having proved to be a headache for the formidable Devendra Fadnavis in his ministry, the Jalgaon giant will have to watch his step twice before opening his mouth about the BJP affairs.
Former Union home minister Shivraj Patil’s daughter-in-law Dr Archana Chakurkar is all set to join the BJP in Mumbai on Saturday. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan has played a vital role in this major political upheaval which will impact Marathwada region’s power structure from now on. The development has unnerved the state Congress party, which is already buffeted by one desertion after another. On the heels of famous thespian Govinda, the influential Shivraj family member’s decision has left Congress leaders speechless. Shivraj was the Lok Sabha speaker for a full term and had handled several major portfolios at the Centre, besides holding the gubernatorial reigns in Punjab. His trusted aide Basavraj Patil joined the BJP last month, sending out clear signals that Archana will follow him sooner than later. Belonging to the powerful Lingayat caste, the Patil clan has been wielding considerable clout in Latur, Dharashiv and Nanded districts, which share the state’s border with Karnataka. Archana, in fact, was all set to enter the saffron camp some years ago. However, that could not happen due to various reasons. After her arrival in Mumbai, Archana called on deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis Friday afternoon. The picture of their meeting has been made viral, prior to her formal welcome. Some more prominent faces will soon join the BJP, it has been indicated.
BJP’s Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is working in right earnest, sans political distractions anymore, to ensure 41 to 45 (out of 48) Lok Sabha seats for NDA from Maharashtra. His party high command cleared the field in Maharashtra by designating him as BJP’s sole face, having strategically elevated Sudhir Mungantiwar, and Pankaja Munde among other perceived contenders to the Parliamentary arena. Fadnavis’ political challenge remains to ensure his party contests 31 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and convince chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar to accommodate BJP candidates from their allocated seats just like Milind Deora found Rajya Sabha nomination from Shinde’s quota. Fadnavis has emphasized the ‘winnability’ criterion and 50% vote share to turn into reality, PM Narendra Modi’s aspiration for 370 BJP MPs in Lok Sabha 3.0. Fadnavis must ensure NCP MLA, Pankaja’s cousin Dhananjay Munde’s wholehearted efforts to ensure his sister (whom he defeated in 2019 state assemblies) wins from Beed. He never enjoyed good relations even with the late Gopinath Munde. “The important thing is Fadnavis has liberty to offer adequate representation in subsequent state assemblies while asking coalition partners to swallow the bitter pill for general elections. The results of the Lok Sabha will decide subsequent state assembly seat allocations in Maharashtra as well,” a source revealed. Whether this will have a placatory effect on known rabble rouser, independent MLA Bacchu Kadu, remains to be seen?
Eruption of discontent after a candidate’s name is announced is an expected occurrence for all major parties but when it is a three-party combination, the problems aggravate to another level. Leaders of the ruling alliance MahaYuti — the BJP, the Shiv Sena’s Shinde faction and the NCP’s Ajit Pawar group — are spending more time in dousing the fires than concentrating on campaigning. The case with the opposition-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is no different. The Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray, the Congress and the NCP led by Sharad Pawar are so engrossed in settling their mutual disputes that it is becoming difficult to understand who is an official nominee and belonging to which party. Deserting the original party to join another has become rampant and has added to the headache of the leaders from both sides. To add fuel to the fire, Republican leader Prakash Ambedkar, independent MLA Bachchu Kadu and splinter group leaders have been making one announcement after another to confound their own followers. Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has been accused of playing a double game by Ambedkar who was wooed by MVA till the other day. On the other hand, the Congress is angry with Uddhav for unilaterally announcing the candidates for some disputed seats. Maratha reservation demand leader Manoj Jarange Patil has been contributing his bit by daily changing his stand. The picture will be clear only on the last day of withdrawal of nomination by the candidates.
Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is emerging as the BJP lone firefighter… dousing the fires created by the announcements of candidatures of 20 of the total 48 seats in Maharashtra. The BJP in the state is busy molly-coddling sitting MP’s, aspirants, party supporters and various rival factions. It is as if the BJP’s high stakes campaign in Maharashtra is riding high entirely on the shoulders of Fadnavis. Fadnavis personally visited the Kandivli residence of Gopal Shetty, to quell anger among Shetty’s supporters after the two time MP from Mumbai North constituency, was asked to vacate the seat in favour of Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal. He also met up with senior leader, Harshavardhan Patil, who is upset at the prospect of having to campaign for the wife of his bete noire, Ajit Pawar from Baramati constituency. The Madha constituency has already been on the boil despite Fadnavis deputing Girish Mahajan to quell tempers there. Then there are simmering issues like sitting MP from Satara, Udayanraje Bhonsale rushing to New Delhi to prevent the seat going to his cousin Shivendraraje Bhonsale after Devendra’s intervention failed. Fadnavis also had to personally intervene to cool down tempers with the Ranas of Amravati — Ravi and Navneet — who are keen to get re-nominated on a BJP ticket. Beyond this, Fadnavis is also spearheading alliance talks with Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
Maharashtra has muddled into chaos as the seat sharing process gets underway. Incidents of threats of rebellion, secret midnight parlays, allegations and accusations, bickerings, shifting to different parties and symbols have become the order of the day. The partial announcement of candidatures by parties has already muddled the coalition politics creating more chaos across the political spectrum in Maharashtra. So far, the BJP has announced candidatures for 20 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra, the Congress for 7, Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena for 4, while the rest are still groping in the dark. The BJP’s announcements have been greeted with threats of rebellion and even demands for changing of candidate at Madha constituency by BJP veteran leader Naik Nimbalkar. Girish Mahajan, who was deputed there to cool down tempers with the influential Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil clan, was blocked from entering the area. At Raver constituency, the re-nomination of sitting MP Raksha Khadse led to dissenting voices from her own party members and family. Though a straight fight with sister-in-law Rohini Khadse, has been averted for now, the bad blood threatens to impact the BJP’s chances here. Jalgaon nominee Smita Wagh is also facing opposition. The candidature of sitting MP from Amravati, Navneet Rana, aligned to Devendra Fadnavis camp, is also stuck due to strong opposition by her Sena counterpart Anantrao Adusul. To add to the confusion Manoj Jarange Patil is planning to field Maratha candidates. Even the Dhangar community has demanded adequate representation failing which they have threatened to put up their own candidates. Even individual rebels like Vasant More, ex-MNS leader from Pune, are planning to play spoilsport.
Intense bargaining for claiming more and more Lok Sabha constituencies has delayed the seat-sharing formulas in Maharashtra for both sides. While the ruling alliance is still to declare its candidates in many constituencies, an agreement on this issue is as yet eluding the Opposition I.N.D.I.A front despite several rounds of discussion. Top leaders from both sides are found closeted with each other or with potential defectors. Chief minister Eknath Shinde and two deputy chief ministers, Devendra Fadanvis and Ajit Pawar keep on assuring their followers that the formula is being finalized and will be announced soon. From I.N.D.I.A front side, Sharad Pawar, former CM Uddhav Thackeray and state Congress president Nana Patole have been meeting time and again to hammer out an agreement that would be respectable for all three constituents. Nonetheless, rebels are popping up all over the state to add to the headache for both camps. Family clashes concerning the Pawar and Thackeray families have added to the ferocity of the fight. Uddhav has mounted a bitter attack against cousin Raj for meeting Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi, thereby implying that the MNS chief has compromised the honour of Marathi Manoos. Ajit Pawar continues to be lashed by his adversaries while Beed candidate Pankaja Munde’s selection is described as a signal that her sister, sitting MP Pritam Munde, will be dropped this time. The role of their cousin Dhananjay Munde will be under scanner, given their earlier political enmity.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is appearing to be almost in the BJP’s bag, boosting the ruling alliance’s confidence for the Lok Sabha election. The BJP-MNS alliance was reportedly sealed after Union home minister Amit Shah met MNS chief Raj Thackeray in Delhi on Tuesday (Mar 19), though the meeting was scheduled to take place on Monday night. Raj has insisted on two Lok Sabha seats for his party, Mumbai South and Nasik and using his election symbol, the Railway Engine. If the alliance becomes a reality, the BJP will be able to hit several birds with a single stone as Raj will aggressively extoll Hindutva, will attack cousin Uddhav on ode to Veer Savarkar and kneeling before the Shiv Sena’s erstwhile political foes like the Communists and the DMK. Raj will thus prove to be an asset for the ruling alliance. BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde, an old friend of Raj, and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis played a behind the scene role in persuading the MNS leader to join the bandwagon. Raj was accompanied by his son Amit. No other leader was with him when Shah met them. MNS has been unable to make any dent in the electoral map of Maharashtra so far. The likely handshake will prove to be a win-win situation for both. Shortpost.in had indicated the possibility on Monday.
The ruling Mahayuti has been unable to resolve the stalemate created over the seat sharing formula, which is likely to undergo a major change if the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is included in the saffron alliance. While deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has indicated that the Mahayuti now has no scope to welcome any new partner, several other factors have impacted the ongoing talks. One of them is MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who has been ambivalent about joining the Mahayuti but has not discounted the possibility outright. His trusted aide Bala Nandgaonkar has been reportedly sounded to contest from South Mumbai, a Shiv Sena stronghold all these years, though due to the BJP support. BJP leaders are weighing the pros and cons about taking MNS on board since it is felt that Raj can easily discredit his cousin Uddhav Thackeray in campaigning. Even at present, Raj does not lose a single opportunity to throw barbs at his cousin Uddhav. Besides South Mumbai, there are about a dozen seats which are claimed by more than one partners of the Mahayuti. The BJP, of course, will get the largest slice though the Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde and the NCP under Ajit Pawar are yet not ready to relent about their demands. The final round of talks will be held in Delhi in a day or two, according to the three leaders.
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Editor’s Note: Short Post Is Here To Stay…
Time, they say, flies—and how true that is. Here we are celebrating our 5th Anniversary. Five years ago, when Covid-19 was wreaking havoc across the globe, I took a leap of faith and launched Short Post, India’s first website for Authentic Gossip. That was on January 31, 2021. I was convinced there was a clear gap in the market for gossip that was credible, sharp, and impactful—especially if told in just 250 words.
In this, I was fortunate. Scores of senior editors across diverse verticals bought into the idea and, in the process, gave wings to my dream. Quite honestly, Short Post could not have crossed these milestones without the unflinching support of its contributing editors. Like all start-ups, we have seen our share of ups and downs, but these editors have stood by us like a rock. I take this opportunity to doff my hat to them.
Thanks to their commitment, we have published close to 5,000 stories spanning politics, business, entertainment, and sports. I say this with pride: we made our mark as people who matter read us. “Small packs, big impact” truly captures the essence of Short Post.
We all know that Covid-19 has reset businesses worldwide, and the media sector is no exception. In the post-Covid era, investors have become more cautious and selective—and advertisers too. To compound matters, the entry of AI has disrupted the media landscape in equal measure. So far, we have managed to hold our ground, hopeful that some angel investors will take a shine to us.
What gives me confidence is this: AI cannot smell news—especially the gossipy kind. In other words, AI cannot churn out Short Post-type stories, no matter the prompt. That puts us in a safe zone. As someone rightly said, “AI is a co-pilot, not a pilot.”