Old rivalries: On Maharashtra’s ruling coalition
The underlying differences are beginning to hurt Mahayuti
Inherent contradictions have a way of showing up at irregular intervals. In the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, the Mahayuti, the tensions between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar, are visible to all. The setback the coalition faced in the 2024 general election might have been the immediate trigger for the open display of discord in the alliance. But for the BJP, the leading partner in the alliance, this could not have come at a more inopportune time. Assembly elections are to be announced in the State soon. While the Mahayuti is caught in internal strife, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — of the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray, the NCP led by Sharad Pawar and the Congress — has managed to put its house in order. A flagship scheme that the ruling alliance unveiled recently in the hope of recovering some lost political ground is itself cause for strife among partners as each one of them calls it by a different name. Mr. Shinde uses the full name ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’, while the BJP calls it the ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’. Ajit Pawar, who introduced the scheme during the Budget session in June, refers to it as the ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’. The recent incident where a statue of Shivaji Maharaj collapsed in the Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district has further embarrassed the coalition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the statue last year. Mr. Modi has apologised to the public for the collapse of the statue but that has not laid the matter to rest. The MVA is determined to milk the issue, and on Sunday, organised a protest. Shivaji Maharaj, a Maratha king, holds immense significance for the Maratha community, to which Ajit Pawar and his uncle and patriarch of the State’s politics, Sharad Pawar, belong.Ajit Pawar was the first to offer an unconditional apology for the statue’s collapse. Both the BJP and the Sena have had a long tussle with the NCP, and Ajit Pawar personally, before becoming political partners. A Sena Minister recently said that sitting in close proximity to NCP members in cabinet meetings made him feel nauseous. Many in the BJP blame the Ajit Pawar group for the debacle in the Lok Sabha election. Ajit Pawar also appears unsure of his association with the BJP and the Sena. He surprised his alliance partners by admitting that fielding his wife Sunetra against his cousin Supriya Sule in the general election was a mistake. He also said that he had asked the BJP not to target Sharad Pawar and felt that Mr. Modi’s remark calling Mr. Pawar a ‘Bhatakti Atma’, or an aimless soul, while on the campaign trail in the run-up to the general election did not appeal to the people. Clearly, he has not burnt his bridges with the larger Pawar family. The underlying rivalries are beginning to hurt the Mahayuti.