Mumbai is not just a cosmopolitan mincemeat but also a financial epicentre contributing exorbitantly to the nation’s economy. The spirit of the city is well known when it faces monsoon or a terror attack and is resilient towards any challenge. Its contribution is not balanced with what it receives in return. It is a city of paradox. If the property rates seemingly are unaffordable, the infrastructure is mediocre to the core. The streets of Mumbai are likened with carters on the moon and they demonstrate as to why the city that never sleeps has not transformed itself as a cousin to Shanghai.
Potholes are the symbols of everything that has not seen the city progress. They highlight the lacunae in the systemic local governance that has taken for granted the city and its people. When any Pakistani artist plans a concert in the city, Shiv Sena will roll up its sleeves. This adoption of anti-Islamabad stance and militant Hindutva cannot be a diversionary tactic to failures spread over decades as the Sena run BMC has run amok. Although the party still caters to son of the soils banner, its teeth has greatly blunted owing to the emergence of a sister Sena MNS and BJP capitulating itself into a big brother format.
The BMC is Shiv Sena’s most prized and prestigious fiefdom and although it has had a up and down journey at the helm in Mantralaya, the richest civic body in the country has being controlled through the reins from the Sena.
This year 2017 BMC polls may be eventful because of many firsts. Primarily, Shiv Sena will be firefighting their bastion without the blessings of its founder late Supremo Bal Thackeray. Secondly Shiv Sena and BJP will be fighting separate ways. And thirdly, the political situation in the country and the state is making the Shiv Sena quite jittery and uncomfortable as never before.
Gone are the days and much water has flown over the system since Pramod Mahajan and Bal Thackeray smoothened a seemingly never ending alliance. During Coalition era, the Sena being the dominant partner and a much moderate BJP at the top somewhere gave the podium to the Shiv Sena when it came to sharing power.
The emergence of Modi Shah combine coupled with arrogance of Matoshree coterie post Bal Thackeray and the demise of alliance proponents such as Munde(who too behind the curtains was anti Sena) derailed the momentum to the brink and from a platform of ideological miscibility ,it headed just to power sharing partners for connivance.
The change of guards on the either side has led to nursing of different ambitions. The BJP is trying to spread further in the state banking on MP or Gujarat like unilateral model whereas the Shiv Sena is trying to reclaim its Marathi Manoos laced thunder of the past. Political battles in Maharashtra used to be aggrandised to two poles in form of the Congress and the NCP fighting against the saffron combine. With the secular forces completely off the track and in dismay, the municipal supremacy this time is locked between the erstwhile NDA friends.
Looking from the purview of both the sides, the situation is very much like UP where regional parties have everything to fight for. The dwindling Marathi population (Mumbai has about 40 percent), the same guerrilla come on the streets antics (which too has lost sheen post Bal Thackeray), the dynastically inclined leadership with layers of inner coterie and lack of mass leaders (like Manohar Joshi) and series of unnecessary blistering attacks on the PM which further takes away voters when the country is favourably mooting for Modi. As a matter of fact, the political landscape in UP is very much similar to the emerging turf war for Mumbai. In Lucknow as SP and Congress are forging an alliance to garner minority votes, both the Senas may join hands albeit post elections to consolidate Marathi votes.
Perhaps news of the estranged cousins coming together may be a ploy to send feelers in the minds of stanch Marathi voters. Although in UP the alliance is official, a post election tie up to keep BJP at bay may be attempted. As Sena leaders speak about keeping resignations in their pockets, Sharad Pawar has categorically denied giving outside support to BJP in advent of Sena pulling support from the state govt.
BJP has had a good run at by polls and municipal elections in many states post demonetisation and the same trend was visible even in Maharashtra for the MLC elections where the party swiped good numbers.
The onus of contention between Shiv Sena and BJP is undoubtedly the changed scenario from Sena being the big brother in the past to now it being reduced to play second fiddle in a state which it considers to be its nerve centre.
In the past 1995-1999 saffron govt, it was the Sena who had its CM remote controlled through Matoshree and it enjoyed complete sway over the state governance. This stale formula of sorts during those times which reflected Sena power now cannot be applied at a time when its power has waned and a more resurgent BJP has emerged. At every talks of seat sharing if Shiv Sena still attempts to wrest the maximum numbers pertaining to their golden period it would be unfair on the part of the BJP which now is experiencing the same with itself.
So as the attempts to hijack the CM post failed to materialise post 2014, Sena was humiliated with take it or leave it portfolios and the alliance which spoke about propagating Hindutva together were seen pushing the alliance to the brink with both setting unreasonable demands for seat sharing as if it was meant to reason out a break up.
With assembly gone and it virtually being a rudimentary force in lieu with the central Modi Govt (as with end of coalition era no blackmailing or bargaining) , the Shiv Sena now worse cannot think about playing a junior partner to a body it dominated and nursed for years and an arrangement with the other Sena which is also reeling under existential crisis can further be rejuvenated for a so called revival of Marathi cause.
The battle lines are drawn and they seem more sort of a civil war within similar ideological temperaments. However, much differences have gone ahead with the quest to survive and the ambitions to conquer replacing the age old common ground to fight the Congress.
As the Shiv Sena roars to survive and the BJP growls to control the richest corporation in Asia, we hope the much-needed attention to the pothole filled roads and Sanghai aspiring Mumbaikars hopefully will be fulfilled.