Beats and pieces of political raas

The BJP cadre and elected representatives are not happy with their party’s large-heartedness; Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis; Ajit Pawar; Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray; MNS chief Raj Thackeray. File pics

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has embraced Raj Thackeray through a toll collection issue. Uddhav Thackeray is mining socialists, who are already part of the I.N.D.I.A front, as his allies. Infighting in the state Congress has gained momentum and new proportions. The BJP cadre and elected representatives are not happy with their party's large-heartedness in sharing power with Ajit Pawar's NCP, which is fighting its own demons. The Marathas will intensify their quota agitation if the government doesn't do something concrete by October 24. Concerned that the Marathas may eat into their vote-bank, the OBCs have issued an ultimatum to the government. Many other caste groups have raised their voices to get their share of social reservation, even as talks of a caste census are gaining ground across the country. Who is dancing to whose tune? The digging is on. A thriller is forthcoming.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly and senior BJP leader, Rahul Narwekar, shoulders the burden of doing the job he is supposed to accomplish amid varied expectations. The Supreme Court has asked Narwekar to submit a new plan to hear the disqualification pleas from the Shiv Sena factions. It is to be seen whether the case turns out to be another round of the judiciary versus legislature, the two independent arms of the democratic setup. Maharashtra's political plate is full, topped with skirmishes between the ruling partner the Shiv Sena (Shinde), NCP (Ajit Pawar) and the BJP.

The outcome of all these issues cannot be predicted because there has to be something permanent to base one's assessment on. Things have taken unexpected turns in the past, beyond the realms of conventional politics. The trend may continue ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the next summer that will open up the field for the state's Assembly elections in the 2024 winter. That assumption of separate elections is again conventional. One never knows how things will unfold in the next three-four months, the Speaker's decision included. There has been solid gossip about Ajit Pawar's chances of becoming the CM, not after the next elections, but in the current term. It raises many questions and does not augur well for the Shinde Sena. One of Shinde's MLA colleagues became so uncontrollably reactive to this speculation that he had to be reined in. In the contest that the BJP has designed between Shinde and Pawar, the winner is yet to be decided. While Shinde did not yield, the BJP made some sacrifices to fulfil Ajit's demands. Will the single largest party make another sacrifice, this time, of an ally that brought it back to power last year?

Step-up for Rajniti

Raj Thackeray has been given a much-needed impetus for his Mumbai-Thane politics. CM Shinde's sarkari team drove to Raj's private residence to hold an official meeting, and to declare an official stand, largely made by the MNS chief, with the PWD minister Dada Bhuse, sitting next to him. The move was obvious, an attempt to chagrin their common arch-rival, Uddhav Thackeray. Raj and Shinde had been part of the united Shiv Sena, which they left, blaming the departure on Uddhav. Raj may not have gained much in one-and-a-half decades, but he has remained a force to reckon with. Shinde has gained much at the first instance but is now faced with a challenge of sustaining and maintaining it. It is not that the traction Raj gets to split votes in the forthcoming elections will only help Shinde. The BJP, too, stands to benefit, probably more.

Halla bol in Congress

It was a free-for-all in the Congress meeting in Nagpur last week when two groups led by the local leaders, the incumbent city unit president and his competition, laid hands on each other in full view of the state party president Nana Patole, Opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar, MLAs and ex-ministers. Officially, the senior leaders played down the fisticuffs, but unofficially they still describe the scene in graphic detail. Infighting has been Congress's undoing. This time around, it happened in a place from where the party desires to spearhead the campaign to outdo the BJP in Vidarbha, which accounts for 60 Assembly and 10 Lok Sabha seats.

Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore

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