Power play in Maharashtra

The Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra is facing a mid-term crisis, with Cabinet Minister Eknath Shinde — accused of playing a key role in cross-voting that helped the BJP in the recent Legislative Council elections — revolting against his party. Shinde, who had been feeling sidelined in the Sena, has been claiming support of enough MLAs to rock the Sena-NCP-Congress alliance even as the state elections are due only in 2024. The voices emerging from the imbroglio have been varied. While NCP leader Sharad Pawar has dubbed the revolt as the Shiv Sena’s internal matter, Sena leader Sanjay Raut hinted that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray could recommend dissolution of the Assembly if the crisis deepened. Thackeray himself sounded placatory, deputing emissaries to win over the rebels, with some of the dissidents saying that they have no problems with the Sena leadership but with the functioning of the NCP and the Congress. The BJP, which had been unable to strike a power deal with the Sena after the October 2019 Assembly elections, has apparently preferred to host the rebel MLAs first in Gujarat and then in Assam.

Ever since the rise of the Shiv Sena under Bal Thackeray’s leadership, revolts by party leaders have not been uncommon. Raj, Bal Thackeray’s nephew was among the first to part ways alongside the likes of Chhagan Bhujbal and Narayan Rane, among others. The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra itself came apart because the former felt it was being forced to play second fiddle. It will be a test of political acumen for Uddhav Thackeray as to how he keeps his flock together and in case of their breaking away, still manages to remain at the helm.

The coercive methods adopted by the Shiv Sena over the years may not have conformed to democratic traditions, but the party has the experience of being in coalition governments both in the state and at the Centre. Regional parties have their own dynamics and the unfolding power play in Maharashtra, unleashed by Shinde’s rebellion, promises a no-holds-barred political tug of war.